What to do immediately after UPI or bank fraud in India

The first 30 minutes: contain and report

Treat suspected financial fraud as an incident-response problem, not as a customer-service task you can postpone.

The Government of India's National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal states that cyber financial fraud can be reported immediately through helpline 1930. [1]

• • Contact the bank, card issuer or payment provider using an official channel and report the transaction as unauthorised.
• • Block or temporarily disable the affected card, UPI access or payment instrument where appropriate.
• • Call 1930 for cyber financial fraud as soon as possible.
• • File or track the complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
• • Change compromised passwords/PIN-related access only through official apps/sites; never follow links sent by the fraudster.
• • Do not send an additional 'recovery fee', 'verification payment' or refund-processing amount to anyone contacting you unofficially.

Use the DeepScreen FREEZE fraud-response protocol

FREEZE gives you a sequence to follow while stress is high.

RBI customer-liability rules make reporting speed important

RBI's framework distinguishes bank fault, third-party breaches and customer negligence; the result is not the same in every fraud case.

Under RBI's 2017 framework for unauthorised electronic banking transactions, a customer can have zero liability where the bank is at fault, and can also have zero liability in a qualifying third-party breach if the customer notifies the bank within three working days of receiving the transaction communication. [2]

For a qualifying third-party breach reported within four to seven working days, liability is limited to the transaction value or the applicable RBI table amount, whichever is lower. Beyond seven working days, the bank's Board-approved policy applies. [2]

If the loss is due to customer negligence, such as sharing payment credentials, RBI states that the customer bears the loss until the unauthorised transaction is reported; losses occurring after reporting are borne by the bank under that framework. This is why the article cannot promise reimbursement simply because a complaint was filed. [2]

What does RBI say about provisional credit in eligible cases?

Where the zero/limited-liability framework applies, RBI sets a timeline for the bank's shadow reversal.

RBI states that on being notified by the customer, the bank should credit a shadow reversal of the amount involved in an unauthorised electronic transaction within 10 working days, without waiting for an insurance settlement, where the framework applies. The eventual complaint outcome still depends on the facts and liability determination. [2]

Build one evidence pack instead of scattered screenshots

A clean chronology makes bank, police/cyber and regulatory follow-up easier.

• • Date and exact time you noticed the fraud.
• • Transaction amount, UPI/reference/UTR/transaction ID and beneficiary/merchant details shown to you.
• • Bank/app alerts and statement entries.
• • Phone numbers, email addresses, UPI IDs, websites or social profiles used by the suspected fraudster.
• • Screenshots of chats and payment requests without editing or cropping away context.
• • Bank complaint number, 1930 acknowledgement and cybercrime portal complaint number.
• • A short written timeline of what happened, including any credentials or permissions that may have been shared.

What not to do after a fraud

Avoid actions that destroy evidence or create a second loss.

• • Do not pay a person who claims they can recover the money for an upfront fee.
• • Do not share OTPs, UPI PINs, card PINs, CVV or remote-access permissions with someone claiming to be the bank or police.
• • Do not delete the chat, SMS or call history before preserving evidence.
• • Do not rely only on a social-media DM to report the incident; use official bank, 1930 and government reporting channels.
• • Do not assume the first complaint automatically covers every affected account or payment instrument.

When can you escalate to the RBI Ombudsman?

First complain to the concerned regulated entity; if the applicable response period expires without a satisfactory resolution, the RBI grievance framework may become available.

The Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 requires the complainant to first approach the concerned regulated entity. RBI's current FAQ says an Ombudsman complaint can be filed if there is no reply within 30 days or within a longer timeline specified by RBI, NPCI or Card Network guidelines, if applicable, or if the complainant is dissatisfied with the reply/resolution. [3]

RBI says online Ombudsman complaints are filed through cms.rbi.org.in. The Ombudsman route is for grievance redress against covered regulated entities; it does not replace the immediate 1930/cybercrime reporting path for suspected cyber fraud. [3]