How these actually work
Twelve patterns behind most cybercrime reported in India, what I4C is warning about this year, and what the official process does once a complaint reaches it. Not a library to browse. Read the one that sounds like what happened.
- 12
- patterns
- 11
- I4C advisories
- 11
- answers about the process
The patterns
Each one is written to be recognised, not filed. The government's own name for it is kept alongside, because that is the word the complaint form will ask you for.
Showing 12 of 12.
The fake police video call
नकली पुलिस वीडियो कॉल
A caller in uniform says a parcel in your name contained drugs, and that you are now under investigation.
The payment request that looks like a payment
भुगतान अनुरोध जो भुगतान जैसा दिखता है
Someone buying your listed item sends a 'request' and asks you to approve it to receive money.
The helpful app they ask you to install
मदद के नाम पर ऐप इंस्टॉल
Support for a failed refund, a KYC update or a stuck payment, if you just install this one app.
The customer care number you found on Google
गूगल पर मिला नकली कस्टमर केयर नंबर
You search for a bank, wallet or delivery helpline. The first number you find answers, and it is not them.
The job that asks you to pay first
नौकरी जो पहले पैसे मांगे
A well-paid role, minimal requirements, and a registration or training fee before you start.
The easy task that turns into an investment
आसान टास्क से निवेश तक
Like some videos, rate some hotels, earn a few hundred rupees. And it pays, at first.
The KYC that expires tonight
आज रात KYC खत्म
Your account will be blocked within hours unless you update your KYC through this link.
The electricity bill that will cut you off tonight
आज रात बिजली कटने वाला मैसेज
An SMS from an ordinary 10-digit number says your power will be disconnected at 9:30 pm unless you call.
The video call that becomes a threat
वीडियो कॉल के बाद ब्लैकमेल
A stranger video-calls, undresses, records your screen, and minutes later demands money to keep it private.
The match who needs money for customs
रिश्ते के नाम पर ठगी
A well-settled NRI profile on a matrimonial site, months of daily conversation, and then a gift held at the airport.
The instant loan that never ends
तुरंत लोन ऐप का जाल
Rs 5,000 in your account in four minutes, no paperwork, and full access to your contacts and gallery.
The SIM that stops working
अचानक बंद हुआ सिम
Your phone loses network for a few hours. By the time it returns, the OTPs have already been used.
What I4C is warning about
The National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit publishes an advisory when a method starts showing up in complaint volume. These are their titles and dates, with one line on what each means for a person rather than for a police force.
WhatsApp Web Account Renting Scam – using Facebook & Instagram
People are being paid small amounts to keep a WhatsApp Web session logged in for someone else. The account then runs scams in your name, from your number.
Advisory on 'Rise in Fake Captcha Filling Jobs' based cybercrime
Captcha and data-entry work offered on Telegram is the opening move of a task scam: the work is real, the payout is bait, the deposit is the point.
How this one runs →Advisory on 'Digital Arrest' based cybercrime in India
I4C states plainly that no agency places anyone under arrest over a video call. If you are being held on a call right now, that call is the crime.
How this one runs →Advisory regarding fake job racket targeting Indian youth
Offers of IT work in South-East Asia have been used to traffic Indians into scam compounds. Verify the employer before any travel document is signed.
How this one runs →
＋ 7 earlier advisories, still current
Fraudsters using heat signatures of fingertips on keypads to crack passwords/PINs
A thermal camera can read a PIN off a keypad seconds after you type it. Rest your whole hand on the keys after entering one at an ATM.
Cybercriminals using malicious browser extensions to perpetrate Cybercrime
An extension can read every page you open, including your bank. Remove the ones you no longer recognise.
Cybercriminals using Caller ID Spoofing to perpetrate Cybercrime
The number on your screen can be faked, including a bank's real helpline. A matching caller ID proves nothing. Call back on a number you already had.
How this one runs →Fraudsters using Army personnel details to perpetrate financial cyber frauds
A buyer claiming to be posted with the Army, in a hurry, sending a QR code or a payment request, is the most common marketplace scam in the country.
How this one runs →Fake SMSs related to unpaid Electricity Bill to dupe citizens
Disconnection notices sent from an ordinary mobile number are fake. Real utilities use registered sender IDs and never disconnect the same night.
How this one runs →Cybercriminals Tampering with QR Codes to defraud Citizens
A pasted-over QR code sends your payment somewhere else. Scanning a code never receives money. It only sends it.
Cybercriminals using Fake Customer Care Numbers / Helplines to defraud citizens
Helpline numbers on search results and maps listings can be planted. Use the number printed on your card or inside the official app.
How this one runs →
Titles and dates as published. Read 27 August 2026.
How the process actually works
The portal answers all of this in an FAQ nobody reads during a crisis. Same facts, in the order a case moves.
I called 1930 and got a number. Is my complaint filed?
No. The acknowledgement number from the helpline is a key that lets you complete the complaint. It is not the complaint itself.
The registration has to be completed within 24 hours of the call. This is where most cases die, and nothing on the call says so clearly.
Who actually receives my complaint?
The police of the State or UT you selected when filing. There is no central force that investigates. The portal routes, the state investigates.
So the state you pick is not an address field. Pick where the incident happened to you, not where the fraudster might be.
What counts as evidence?
The portal's own list: card receipts, bank statements, online transfer receipts, copies of emails, the URL of a webpage, chat transcripts, a screenshot of the suspect's number, images, videos, envelopes or pamphlets if something arrived physically, and any other document.
Screenshots must show the number or handle, not just the words. A cropped message with no sender is close to useless to an investigator.
What is the hash value shown against my uploaded file?
A fixed-length fingerprint of the exact file you uploaded, like 0800fc577294c34e0b28ad2839435945. If a single pixel changed, the fingerprint would change.
It exists to prove your evidence was not altered after you submitted it. It protects you, not the department.
Why does the form reject my description?
An official complaint needs at least 200 characters, and the portal rejects several special characters outright: # $ @ ^ * ` ' ~ | !
People write two lines, get an error with no explanation, and abandon the form. Write what happened in order: when, how they contacted you, what you did, what was lost.
Can I report without giving my name?
Only for crimes against women and children: sexually explicit content, CSEAM, rape or gang-rape content. That channel accepts a complaint with no personal details at all.
An anonymous complaint cannot be tracked, and the police cannot come back to you for the detail that would move it. It also cannot be withdrawn.
Can I take a complaint back?
A cyber crime complaint can be withdrawn any time before it is converted into an FIR. A complaint filed under the women and children section cannot be withdrawn at all.
Almost nobody knows this right exists. It matters most when a family member turns out to be involved.
My status says 'Disposed'. Was it rejected?
Usually not. On this portal the word normally means the complaint has been handed to the investigating authority. The portal's part is done, not the case.
People read it as a refusal and stop pursuing a live complaint. If you believe the response has not been appropriate, there is a named nodal officer for your state.
What if the fraudster is outside India, or I am?
Both work. An Indian citizen defrauded by someone abroad can file here, and a foreign national defrauded by someone in India can file here too.
What if I get a detail wrong?
Honest mistakes are expected. An investigator would rather have an approximate time than a blank field. Deliberately false information, however, carries penal liability.
So write what you remember and mark what you are unsure of, rather than guessing precisely.
Should I also report to the platform itself?
Yes, and do it first for anything still visible online. Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, WhatsApp and Telegram all have their own reporting routes, and they act faster on content than any police process can.
If the platform does nothing, the Grievance Appellate Committee exists precisely for that. It is a statutory appeal, not a customer-service escalation.
Grounded in the portal’s own FAQ and submission rules. Read 27 August 2026.
If you remember one thing
Every one of these works by making you act before you think: a deadline, a threat, or a payment that has to happen right now. Slowing down for two minutes defeats almost all of them.