34. Indian Cyber Law and Cyber Crime Awareness
34.5 Common Cyber Frauds in India and How to Spot Them
| Fraud | How it works | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| "Digital arrest" scam | Callers pretend to be police, CBI, customs or a courier company, claim a parcel or your Aadhaar is linked to a crime, keep you on video call and demand money to "clear your name" | No real agency arrests anyone over video call or asks for money to close a case |
| UPI collect / QR scam | You are sent a "collect request" or QR code to "receive" money | You never enter a UPI PIN to receive money |
| KYC / electricity bill SMS | "Your account will be blocked, update KYC" or "power will be cut tonight" with a link or number | Urgency plus a link or unknown number; banks do not ask for OTP or PIN |
| Fake customer care | Fake helpline numbers in search results or social media ask you to install a screen-sharing app | Any request to install AnyDesk/TeamViewer-type apps or share the screen |
| Part-time job / task scam | Paid to "like videos" or "rate hotels", small payouts first, then asked to "invest" to unlock earnings | Being asked to pay to earn |
| Investment / trading app scam | WhatsApp or Telegram groups show fake profits in fake apps; withdrawal is blocked | Guaranteed high returns, unregistered apps |
| Sextortion | Video call records the victim, then blackmail | Unknown video calls, especially late at night; never pay – report |
| SIM swap | Criminal gets a duplicate SIM and receives your OTPs | Phone suddenly shows "No service" for a long time |
| Loan app harassment | Instant loan apps take contacts and photos, then harass and threaten | Apps asking for contacts and gallery access; unregistered lenders |
| Phishing / fake websites | Look-alike bank or shopping sites steal logins and card details (Chapter 27) | Wrong spelling in the URL, too-good offers |
Useful government services: Sanchar Saathi (sancharsaathi.gov.in) lets you check mobile connections in your name and report suspected fraud calls and messages through its Chakshu facility, and block a lost or stolen phone.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
All frauds use the same formula: fear or greed + urgency. "Pay right now or you'll be arrested", "double returns, today only". If you get a call like this, hang up, calm down, and check yourself using the official number. Someone who rushes you is always a fraud – explain this to the elders at home too.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
सगळे fraud एकच formula वापरतात: भीती किंवा लालच + घाई (urgency). "आता लगेच pay करा नाहीतर arrest", "फक्त आज double return". असा call आला तर phone कट करा, शांत व्हा, आणि स्वतः official number वरून तपासा. घाई करणारा नेहमी fraud असतो – हे घरातल्या मोठ्या माणसांना पण समजावून सांगा.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
सारे fraud एक ही formula इस्तेमाल करते हैं: डर या लालच + जल्दबाज़ी (urgency). "अभी तुरंत pay करो वरना arrest", "सिर्फ़ आज double return". ऐसा call आए तो phone काटो, शांत हो जाओ, और खुद official number से जाँचो. जल्दबाज़ी कराने वाला हमेशा fraud होता है – यह घर के बड़ों को भी समझाओ.
Practice task
Prepare a one-page awareness poster in Marathi (Roman script) for your family or neighbourhood covering five frauds from the table, with the red flag for each and the 1930 helpline. Share it only with people you know.