OTP Fraud
Never share an OTP, PIN, password or CVV—even with someone claiming to be an official.
What is this fraud?
A criminal obtains a one-time password and uses it to complete an unauthorised login, payment or account change.
How does it happen?
The caller impersonates a bank, courier, telecom company or official and asks for the OTP under the pretext of verification, refund, KYC or cancellation.
Warning signs
Anyone asking for an OTP; repeated OTP messages you did not initiate; calls creating urgency; unexpected login or password-reset alerts.
How to stay safe
Never disclose an OTP, even to a person claiming to be an official. Do not approve an action you did not start. Use strong passwords and account alerts.
If you are a victim
Block affected banking/cards, change passwords from a safe device, contact the service provider, call 1930 for financial loss and preserve all alerts.
Evidence to preserve
Keep transaction IDs or UTRs, bank messages, screenshots, chats, emails, phone numbers, profiles, URLs, app details, and the exact date and time. Preserve original files without editing or deleting them.
Official reporting
For financial cyber fraud, call 1930 immediately, notify your bank or payment provider, and file a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal ↗. General technical advisories are available from CERT-In ↗.