What is the cyber fraud helpline number in India?

1930 is the National Cyber Crime Helpline for reporting financial cyber fraud. You should also register the complaint on cybercrime.gov.in and inform your bank through its official helpline.

What is the ‘golden hour’ in cyber fraud?

It is the short period right after the fraud when the money may still be sitting in the first account it reached. Reporting on 1930 quickly gives the best chance of a hold being placed before it is withdrawn or moved further. Recovery is still not guaranteed.

Can Adhiwakta recover my money?

No. Adhiwakta is a facilitation platform, not police, a bank, or a recovery agency, and never charges to ‘recover’ money. You can Ask Adhiwakta for general guidance from an independent advocate after you have called 1930 and your bank.

Lost money to online / UPI fraud — call 1930 now

Speed matters most. Money moved by fraudsters can sometimes be put on hold if it is reported before it is withdrawn — police call this the ‘golden hour’.

🚨 Call 1930 right now (National Cyber Crime Helpline). Keep your bank statement / transaction SMS open while you call. If someone is threatening you or holding you on a video call (‘digital arrest’), disconnect and call 112.

Ask on WhatsAppNo form · +91 89898 88907 · general guidance, not legal advice

Helplines for this situation

1930Call
National Cyber Crime Helpline
Money lost to online / UPI / card fraud — call at once so the transaction can be flagged to banks. Then complete the complaint on cybercrime.gov.in.
Call immediately — every minute counts · Official source
112Call
Emergency — police, fire, ambulance
Any immediate danger to life, violence, crime in progress, medical emergency. Works across all States/UTs (ERSS).
24×7 · also via the ‘112 India’ app / SMS · Official source
14416Call
Tele-MANAS mental health support
Free mental-health counselling after a traumatic event — violence, fraud, arrest of a family member, a missing loved one.
Toll-free · Official source

⏱ First-hour steps

Call 1930 immediately
Give your bank, account number, transaction ID/UTR, date, time, amount, and the fraudster’s UPI ID / account / phone. The report is flagged to banks through the government’s Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting system. Note the acknowledgement number.
Complete the complaint on cybercrime.gov.in
Choose ‘Report Cyber Crime’ → financial fraud, log in with your mobile OTP, quote the 1930 acknowledgement number, and upload screenshots and bank SMS.
Call your bank’s official helpline
Use the number printed on your card, app or the bank’s website — never a number from a search ad or caller. Block card / UPI / net banking and raise a written dispute. RBI rules limit customer liability when unauthorised electronic transactions are reported quickly (currently 3 working days for zero liability in third-party breach cases; revised RBI directions apply from 1 January 2027).
Secure your accounts
Change UPI PIN, net-banking and email passwords; log out other devices; uninstall any screen-sharing or ‘support’ app a caller asked you to install. If your SIM stopped working suddenly, contact your telecom operator (possible SIM swap).
Go to the police / cyber cell for an FIR
Take your acknowledgement number and evidence. For larger losses (above ₹10 lakh) reported via 1930/NCRP, an e-Zero FIR system is being rolled out state by state — you may be asked to visit the cyber police station within 3 days to convert it into a regular FIR.
Report the fraud number and protect others
Report suspected fraud calls/SMS/WhatsApp on Sanchar Saathi (Chakshu). Block a lost or stolen phone there too.

📁 Documents & evidence to keep

Bank statement / passbook page and transaction SMS or emails
UTR / transaction IDs, amount, date and time of each transfer
Screenshots of chats, profiles, websites/app links, call logs
Fraudster’s phone numbers, UPI IDs, account numbers, email IDs
1930 / cybercrime.gov.in acknowledgement numbers; ID proof

⛔ Avoid

Paying ‘recovery agents’, ‘hackers’ or anyone promising to get your money back for a fee
Sharing OTP, UPI PIN, or installing apps a caller asks for
Believing ‘digital arrest’ calls — I4C advises there is no such thing as a digital arrest in Indian law; real agencies do not arrest or collect money over video calls

⚖️ The law in brief

Cyber fraud can attract BNS offences such as cheating (s.318, old IPC 420) and IT Act, 2000 offences such as identity theft (s.66C) and cheating by personation using a computer resource (s.66D). Money frozen in beneficiary accounts is usually released only through the police/court process — timelines vary and recovery is never guaranteed.

🏛 Official portals

When the immediate danger has passed

Ask Adhiwakta to get general guidance from an independent advocate on next steps, or start with the free AI helper to organise your facts. This is not an emergency channel.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the cyber fraud helpline number in India?: 1930 is the National Cyber Crime Helpline for reporting financial cyber fraud. You should also register the complaint on cybercrime.gov.in and inform your bank through its official helpline.
What is the ‘golden hour’ in cyber fraud?: It is the short period right after the fraud when the money may still be sitting in the first account it reached. Reporting on 1930 quickly gives the best chance of a hold being placed before it is withdrawn or moved further. Recovery is still not guaranteed.
Can Adhiwakta recover my money?: No. Adhiwakta is a facilitation platform, not police, a bank, or a recovery agency, and never charges to ‘recover’ money. You can Ask Adhiwakta for general guidance from an independent advocate after you have called 1930 and your bank.