There is no legitimate process in which a citizen is kept under continuous video-call arrest and ordered to move money to a safe account for verification.
Disconnect the call.
Caller numbers and usernames.
Staying on the call to prove innocence.
National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
The scam usually begins with a courier, telecom, customs, bank or police allegation. The victim is transferred between fake officials, shown forged documents and told not to contact family, a lawyer or the local police.
Isolation is the control mechanism. The fraudster creates urgency, uses uniforms or official-looking backgrounds, and demands a transfer, fixed deposit closure or investment liquidation. Genuine authorities do not establish innocence by taking custody of personal funds through a video call.
End the call, do not click further links and verify the allegation using independently located official numbers. If money moved, contact the bank, call 1930 and file the portal complaint immediately.
| Situation | Meaning | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Opening claim | Parcel, SIM or bank account linked to crime. | Do not accept the caller’s transfer chain. |
| Isolation | Order not to speak with anyone. | Break secrecy immediately. |
| Fake procedure | Video interrogation and forged warrants. | Verify offline. |
| Money demand | Safe account, security deposit or verification transfer. | No legitimate authority uses this method. |
If no money was transferred, report the attempted scam and secure exposed personal data. Change credentials where screen sharing, remote access or document disclosure occurred.
If funds were transferred, speed is critical. A later narrative cannot replace the transaction references needed for tracing.
The safest approach is to preserve the original record, use the official channel and explain the facts in chronological order. A portal acknowledgement, complaint number or filing receipt is part of the evidence and should be downloaded rather than assumed to remain available forever.
Rules and procedures can change, and the correct action depends on the exact transaction, policy, notice or account. Where money, limitation, criminal allegations, medical causation or a large tax position is involved, qualified professional advice should be obtained before taking an irreversible step.
Fraud response has two parallel objectives: stop additional loss and preserve the evidence needed to trace the first loss. The immediate step is Disconnect the call. Record the exact time because bank liability, fund tracing, SIM or account containment and police follow-up can all depend on how quickly the incident was reported.
The evidence file should begin with Caller numbers and usernames. Add the transaction reference, beneficiary, phone number, link, app name, device state and every complaint acknowledgement. Keep original chats and files untouched; explanatory screenshots can be created as copies, but they should not replace the source material.
Do not continue following the fraudster’s instructions in the hope of recovering money. A frequent error is Staying on the call to prove innocence. Use only independently located official numbers and portals. A bank dispute, cybercrime complaint and securities or telecom grievance may all be necessary because each route addresses a different part of the incident.