Scam Help · Free public service
How to check a suspicious call, SMS, WhatsApp message or link
You cannot prove a message is safe, but you can spot warning signs. Check who is contacting you and how, whether they are rushing you, what they want you to pay or install, and where the link leads. Never share an OTP or PIN. If in doubt, stop and use the number on your card.
Please read this first. Nothing on this page proves that a message is safe. A message can pass every check below and still be a scam. These checks only help you slow down and find warning signs. We are a private organisation, not the police or a bank, and we cannot recover money or check your message for you.
What can I check myself on a suspicious call, SMS or WhatsApp message?
You do not need special tools. Ask yourself four questions. Take your time. A real bank or office will wait while you check.
- Who is contacting me, and how? Did they reach out first, out of the blue?
- Are they rushing me? Is there a deadline, a threat, or a "do not tell anyone"?
- What do they want? An OTP, a UPI PIN, a payment, an app install, a screen share?
- Where does the link or number come from? Did it arrive in the message, or did you find it yourself on your card, passbook or official app?
One "yes" is a reason to stop. Two or more is a strong reason to stop and talk to someone you trust.
What does each sign mean, and what does it not mean?
A sign is a clue, not a verdict. This table shows how to read each one.
| What you notice | What it can mean | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown number or sender | Callers can pose as police, a bank or an agency. No Indian agency makes arrests over a phone or video call. | A known-looking name does not make it real. Fraudsters use SIM cards taken on false documents. |
| Deadline or threat | Pressure is a common tool. It pushes you to act before you think. | Not every urgent message is a scam. Check by yourself, using a number you trust. |
| Asks for OTP, UPI PIN, CVV or password | This is a major warning sign. Banks do not need these from you. | Refusing keeps you safer, but it does not tell you who the caller was. |
| Asks you to install an app or share your screen | An app file from a message link can give a stranger access to your banking apps. | Not installing it keeps you safer, but it does not tell you who sent it. |
| Phone number found through a web search | Scammers plant fake helpline numbers online and then act as support staff. | A number that appears in a search is not proof it belongs to the bank. |
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs advice via PIB, 2025 to 2026; Kerala Police advice as reported by The420.in, 4 October 2026. See the source list below.
Does a real-looking document or a video call make it safe?
No. This is the most common wrong belief. In a "digital arrest" scam, a call, video call or WhatsApp message says you are linked to a crime. The caller poses as police, customs, CBI or a judge. Then forged court orders arrive on WhatsApp so it feels official.
The rule to remember is plain: no Indian agency makes arrests or holds anyone under "digital arrest" over a phone or video call. Treat any such call as fraud. Also be careful when a caller asks you to stay on video, not tell your family, or move money to a "safe" or "RBI" account. The Reserve Bank of India has said for years that it does not hold accounts for individuals.
Government figures show how big this is. Digital arrest scams and related cybercrimes reported on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal totalled 1,23,672 in 2024.
Source: PIB backgrounder on Sanchar Saathi App, 2 Dec 2025, calendar year 2024. RBI press release, 4 July 2018.
Why do scam messages work on so many different people?
It is about how people decide under pressure. Cambridge researchers listed seven things scammers use: distraction, not questioning authority, following the crowd, dishonesty, deception, need and greed, and time pressure. They wrote that society trains people not to question authority, and that hustlers steer you towards less reasoning. That paper is from 2009 and is a general framework, but the same pattern shows up in the cases below.
A fake officer uses authority. A "your account will be blocked today" SMS uses time pressure. A "do not tell your family" call uses secrecy. A calm voice from a "helpline" borrows trust. These tricks work on ordinary, careful people. Feeling rushed is the signal to stop.
The US Federal Trade Commission reported that people there reported losing USD 3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, nearly three times the 2020 level. Nearly 1 in 3 fraud reports were imposter scams. The FTC says many start with a fake security alert, often from a bank, and people are convinced to move money to "protect" it.
Source: University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory (2009, ACM 2011 version); US Federal Trade Commission press release, 15 June 2026, calendar year 2025. Figures in US dollars as reported.
What do the bank fraud figures tell us about messages on our phones?
As reported in news of the RBI annual report, card, internet and digital payment fraud reported by banks in FY2025-26 was 293 cases worth Rs 29 crore, against 13,332 cases and Rs 517 crore the year before. That looks like a big fall.
But look at what the public reported. The Ministry of Home Affairs told Parliament that the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal logged 2,268,346 incidents in 2024, up 42.08% on 2023. Total losses reported by citizens were Rs 2,290.24 crore in 2022, Rs 7,465.18 crore in 2023 and Rs 22,845.73 crore in 2024. These two sets of numbers count different things, so do not compare them directly. The lesson: a low bank number does not mean scams have stopped reaching people.
Source: Outlook Business citing RBI data, FY2025-26 and FY2024-25 (as reported in news). MHA, Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 432, answered 2 Dec 2025, calendar years 2022 to 2024. Losses are as reported by citizens, not audited.
What does a real case look like? Three anonymised examples
Case 1: The helpline number from a web search (Uttar Pradesh, 2025)
What happened. A person searched online for a bank's customer care number and called a number that turned out to be fake. The caller sent a form over WhatsApp asking for banking details. Two transfers of Rs 1 lakh each left the account within minutes. The person noticed only the next day. A police complaint was filed.
The tell. The number came from a search result, not from the card or the bank's own app. A form for banking details was sent on WhatsApp.
What can help. Calling only the number printed on the card or shown inside the official app, and never filling a form sent by chat.
Source: The420.in, reported 16 September 2025. Loss as reported.
Case 2: The "urgent KYC" app file (Mumbai, 2026)
What happened. Victims got an SMS asking them to download an app file for an urgent utility account KYC check. Once installed, it gave criminals access to mobile banking. Police reported 2,993 victims, 9,192 fraudulent transactions and Rs 63.69 crore lost. A man in his twenties who allegedly supplied the app files was arrested in July 2026. He is accused; a court has not decided.
The tell. An SMS link that downloads an app from outside the official app stores, with an urgent message.
What can help. Not installing anything from a message link, and checking KYC only inside the bank's own app or branch.
Source: The420.in, complaint 3 July 2026, arrest 24 July 2026. Figures as reported by police.
Case 3: The phone that suddenly lost signal (Varanasi, 2026)
What happened. A gang got a person's Aadhaar and PAN details and used forged papers at mobile shops to get a duplicate SIM. The real SIM stopped working. OTPs and bank alerts then reached the criminals. Rs 12 lakh was taken from one victim, and police said at least 11 victims were hit the same way. Two accused members were arrested in May 2026.
The tell. Sudden loss of network with no reason, along with unexpected bank messages.
What can help. Treating a dead SIM as urgent, calling the bank from another phone, and checking the connections in your name on Sanchar Saathi.
Source: The420.in, arrests reported May 2026. Loss as reported.
Where can I report or look up a suspicious message in India?
Use only official routes. Find them yourself, do not follow a number sent in a message.
- Helpline 1930: the toll-free number for lodging online cyber complaints. Call as soon as money is lost.
- cybercrime.gov.in: the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, run by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Sanchar Saathi: the Department of Telecommunications portal and app. You can report suspected fraud calls and messages through its Chakshu facility, check mobile connections issued in your name, and block lost or stolen phones.
- Your bank: tell it quickly. Under an RBI circular of 6 July 2017, a customer has zero liability in a third-party breach if reported within three working days of the bank's communication. Banks are to credit the disputed amount within 10 working days of the customer's notification.
- rbi.org.in: the only official RBI website.
Source: PIB (Ministry of Home Affairs), 22 Jul 2026 and 28 Jul 2026; PIB backgrounder on Sanchar Saathi, 2 Dec 2025; Reserve Bank of India circular RBI/2017-18/15, 6 July 2017.
Be honest with yourself about recovery. In the same Ministry figures for financial years 2023-24 to 2025-26, more than Rs 56,087 crore was reported, more than Rs 9,079 crore was marked as lien and more than Rs 206 crore was refunded. Refund depends on police and courts. Reporting fast helps, but nobody can promise money back.
Source: PIB (Ministry of Home Affairs), National Cybercrime Response Mechanism, 22 Jul 2026. Financial years 2023-24 to 2025-26. All figures are "more than" figures as stated.
What if someone offers to get my lost money back?
Be careful. The US FTC warns that recovery scammers buy lists of people who already lost money, pose as agencies, advocacy groups or law firms, and ask for upfront fees. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says never pay an advance fee to obtain a refund. The UK Financial Conduct Authority also warns of "recovery room" scams. A stranger who contacts you after you lose money, and wants a fee first, is a warning sign.
Source: US FTC consumer alert, 3 August 2026; Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, recovery pitch page, read 4 October 2026; UK Financial Conduct Authority consumer page, read 4 October 2026.
What to do now
- Stop. Do not reply, click or press any key on the call.
- Never share an OTP, UPI PIN, CVV, card PIN or password, for any reason.
- Do not install an app or share your screen because a message told you to.
- Hang up and call the number on your card, passbook or official app.
- Tell a family member or friend before you act, even if the caller says not to.
- If money has left your account, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in, then tell your bank at once.
- Report suspicious calls and messages through Sanchar Saathi.
Read more: what to do in the first hour, Scam Help India, digital arrest scams, UPI, OTP and KYC fraud, how scammers manipulate you, fund recovery scams and scam awareness.
Quick answers
Can I tell for sure that a message is safe?
No. Nothing you can check by yourself proves a message is safe. You can only look for warning signs such as a rush, a request for an OTP or PIN, or a link that asks you to install something. If unsure, contact the bank using the number on your card.
Should I call the number in a suspicious message?
No. A number inside a message, or one found through a web search, can belong to a scammer. Fake helpline numbers are planted online. Use only the number printed on your card, passbook or shown in the official app.
Is a court order or police notice on WhatsApp real?
Treat it as a red flag and do not act on it. Forged court orders sent on WhatsApp are part of the digital arrest pattern, and no Indian agency makes arrests or holds anyone under digital arrest over a phone or video call. Hang up, tell family, and check by finding the office's number yourself. If you lost money, report on 1930.
Where do I report a suspicious call or SMS in India?
Use Sanchar Saathi, the Department of Telecommunications portal, to report suspected fraud calls and messages through Chakshu. If money is lost, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in. Tell your bank quickly as well.
Will I get my money back if I report?
Nobody can promise that. In Ministry figures for 2023-24 to 2025-26, more than Rs 206 crore was refunded against more than Rs 56,087 crore reported. Banks can place a lien if you report fast, but refund depends on police and courts.
Sources checked 3 October 2026
- MHA, Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 432 (NCRP incidents and losses) (Calendar years 2022 to 2024, answered 2 Dec 2025)
- PIB (Ministry of Home Affairs), National Cybercrime Response Mechanism (Financial years 2023-24 to 2025-26, 22 Jul 2026)
- PIB (Ministry of Home Affairs), CFCFRMS 2.0 and helpline 1930 (28 Jul 2026)
- PIB backgrounder on Sanchar Saathi App (Department of Telecommunications) (2 Dec 2025)
- Outlook Business, citing RBI data (FY2025-26 and FY2024-25)
- Reserve Bank of India, circular RBI/2017-18/15 on customer liability (6 July 2017)
- Reserve Bank of India press release (RBI holds no accounts for individuals) (4 July 2018)
- The420.in, fake bank helpline case (Reported 16 September 2025)
- The420.in, fake KYC app file case (3 July to 24 July 2026)
- The420.in, SIM swap case (May 2026)
- The420.in citing Kerala Police, fake customer care numbers (4 October 2026)
- US Federal Trade Commission, imposter scam losses (Calendar year 2025, release 15 June 2026)
- US FTC Consumer Advice, recovery scams alert (3 August 2026)
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Recovery pitch (Read 4 October 2026)
- UK Financial Conduct Authority, Protect yourself from scams (Read 4 October 2026)
- University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, Understanding the psychology of scam victims (2009, ACM version March 2011)
Figures are as reported by the named agencies for the periods shown. Reporting rules differ by country, so totals are not directly comparable.