Online purchase — nothing arrived, or a fake site

Do this now

1. 1
   Step 1.

   Within 5 minutes

   Call 1930 right now. It is the national cyber-crime helpline and runs 24 hours. The sooner the complaint is on record, the better the chance the bank can freeze the money — the first hour matters most.

   Call 1930
2. 2
   Step 2.

   Within 15 minutes

   Call your bank on its official number — the one printed on the card or passbook — report the transaction as disputed and get the account or card frozen. Note the complaint number. Under the RBI circular, if the breach was a third party's and the deficiency lay neither with the bank nor with you, reporting within three working days of the bank's intimation leaves your liability at zero. But if you passed on the OTP, PIN or password yourself, you bear the entire loss until you report it — and the bank bears any loss after that. Which is why every hour of delay adds to the amount.

3. 3
   Step 3.

   Within 30 minutes

   If you paid by card or net banking, raise a chargeback or transaction dispute with the bank — these have deadlines, so do not wait.

4. 4
   Step 4.

   Within the first hour

   Screenshot the product page, the order confirmation, the ad and the seller's contact details before the site disappears.

5. 5
   Step 5.

   Within the first hour

   File the written complaint at cybercrime.gov.in and save the acknowledgement number. The phone complaint lands on the same portal, but only you can add the written account and the documents.

   File at cybercrime.gov.in
6. 6
   Step 6.

   Within 24 hours

   Also complain to the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 — the consumer route is a separate path to a refund.

   Call 1915
7. 7
   Step 7.

   Within 24 hours

   Go to the nearest police station or cyber cell, give a written complaint and take the acknowledgement. A cyber-crime FIR can be registered at any police station — you cannot be turned away on the ground that it is not their jurisdiction.