File cybercrime gov in complaint: step-by-step portal guide
By Advocate Panchanand Shaw, Bar Council of West Bengal · Published 4 Nov 2026 · Court process
The cybercrime.gov.in portal lets you file a cyber crime complaint online and get a dated acknowledgement number that a bank and police unit can act on. Choose financial fraud if money was lost, enter the location and the evidence accurately, save the PDF receipt, and dial 1930 the same hour to request a freeze.
The cybercrime.gov.in portal is the national online window for reporting cyber offences in India. It lets you file a complaint from anywhere, categories it correctly, and issues an acknowledgement number that a bank and a police unit can act on. For a financial fraud it feeds the freeze and recovery machinery; for offences such as hacking, impersonation or obscene content it becomes the first record on which the police build a case.
The portal does not replace the 1930 helpline or a police station. It complements them. Dial 1930 when money is leaving right now, because a freeze must be requested in real time. File on the portal to create a permanent, dated record. Go to a police station when you need an FIR registered under section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, or a zero FIR under section 35. Knowing which tool does which job is what keeps a complaint from stalling.
What the portal actually is
The portal is a reporting system, not a court and not an investigating agency. When you submit, it stores your complaint, assigns a reference, and routes it according to the category and the location you enter. For a financial fraud, the routing connects the complaint to the freeze process that the national reporting mechanism coordinates with banks. For other offences, it hands the complaint to the police unit for the stated location.
Two categories sit behind the login. The financial fraud category is for cases where money has been lost and a transaction reference exists. The other cyber crime category covers everything from a hacked account to a fake profile, sextortion, phishing or identity misuse. Choosing the right one is the first decision that shapes everything after.
Financial fraud vs other cyber crime on the portal
The two categories lead to different machinery. Financial fraud complaints are built around a transaction, so the portal asks for the amount, the channel and the beneficiary, and the complaint feeds the freeze process. Other cyber crime complaints are built around conduct, so the portal asks about the platform, the profile and the nature of the harm. Pick the category that matches the primary harm; where a fraud also involved a hacked account, the financial fraud category is usually the right start because a freeze is the time-critical step.
What the law behind it says
The portal is a procedural tool; the offences it records are defined elsewhere. Cheating under section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 and computer-related fraud under sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act 2000 are cognizable, which is why a complaint that discloses them can be turned into an FIR. Section 173 of the BNSS obliges the police to register an FIR on information about a cognizable offence, and section 35 allows a zero FIR at any station. Electronic records you upload are proved under section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023.
Preparing evidence before you open the portal
Have the evidence ready before you start, because the form is easier to complete in one sitting. Gather a dated screenshot of the fraudulent page or profile, the chat or call transcript, the transaction reference, the beneficiary details and your bank statement showing the debit. Save them in one folder with numbered file names, and note in a line what each proves. This index is what you will reuse at the police station and, if needed, before a magistrate.
How to file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in
- Register on the portal with a mobile number and email, and verify the one-time code.
- Read the two categories and pick financial fraud if money was lost, or other cyber crime if it was not.
- Fill in the incident details: date, time, what happened, how you were deceived, and the amount involved.
- Enter the location of the offence as accurately as you can, because it decides which police unit receives the case.
- Add the suspect details you have, such as a phone number, UPI ID, account number, URL or handle, even if incomplete.
- Upload the evidence in a single indexed set: screenshots, chat exports, the fraudulent page and your bank statement showing the debit.
- Submit and download the acknowledgement PDF. On a financial fraud, also dial 1930 the same hour and quote the reference for a freeze.
- Follow the status using the reference, and if nothing moves, take the acknowledgement to a police station to demand an FIR.
Portal, helpline and police station compared
| Channel | What it is best at | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| cybercrime.gov.in portal | Structured, permanent complaint with a reference | Not an FIR by itself |
| 1930 helpline | Real-time freeze on a live money loss | Needs a transaction reference and speed |
| Police station or zero FIR | Registering a criminal case | May require follow-up to act on the portal record |
| Bank nodal officer | Pressing the freeze and liability question | Not a criminal complaint |
After you submit
Treat the acknowledgement as the start, not the end. For a financial fraud, the portal reference supports the freeze request, and you should confirm with your bank that the beneficiary account has been placed on hold. For other offences, check the status periodically and keep every communication in writing. If the police take no step on a complaint that discloses a cognizable offence, you are entitled to an FIR under section 173 of the BNSS, and you can seek a direction from the magistrate under section 175(3) if the station still declines.
Tracking your complaint
Use the acknowledgement to check the status on the portal and to quote the case in every follow-up. Note the date of each call, the name of the officer and what you were told. If the complaint sits untouched for weeks on a matter that discloses a cognizable offence, the record of your quiet, persistent follow-up strengthens an application to the magistrate under section 175(3) of the BNSS, because it shows the station was given a fair chance to act and did not.
What the portal will not do
The portal will not itself investigate, arrest, or recover money. It will not decide whether your case is criminal or civil, and it will not register an FIR on its own. It is a reporting and routing system. Treat it as the first, precise step, and pair it with 1930 for a freeze and a police station for an FIR. Victims who expect the portal to complete the case on its own are the ones who wait the longest before anyone acts. Read the acknowledgement carefully before you close the browser, and correct any wrong detail while the reference is still fresh.
If you are unsure which category fits
When in doubt after a money loss, choose financial fraud, because the freeze is the only step that is genuinely time-critical and the other steps can be added later. When there is no money loss, choose the other cyber crime category. If you later realise the category was wrong, file a fresh complaint with the correct one and mention the earlier reference, rather than editing the old one, so the record stays honest.
Filing for a business or for someone else
A business files in its own name for fraud against the company, and a representative can file on behalf of a person who is unwell or elderly. Where you file for someone else, record your own details as the complainant and attach the authority you hold. The police need a single named person to contact, and the portal expects the person who knows the facts to be the one filing.
What decides the outcome
Four things shape the result. The category you chose, because the freeze track and the investigation track are different. The accuracy of the location, because a wrongly routed complaint sits with the wrong unit. The completeness of the evidence, because an indexed file is easier to act on than scattered screenshots. And the speed of the freeze request, because recovery is a matter of catching the money before it is withdrawn. None of these depends on the size of the loss; all of them depend on how carefully the complaint is prepared.
Common mistakes
- Filing under the wrong category and never reaching the correct track.
- Treating the portal reference as an FIR and waiting, when an FIR must still be registered.
- Skipping 1930 on a live fraud, losing the freeze window.
- Uploading blurry or partial screenshots without an index or dates.
- Entering a wrong location, so the complaint is routed to a unit that cannot investigate it.
- Not following up, and assuming the portal itself will pursue the case.
What to attach for the most common frauds
What you upload depends on the offence. For a UPI or bank fraud, attach the transaction reference, the beneficiary account or UPI ID, and your statement showing the debit. For a hacked social media account, attach the login-alert messages, the recovery attempts and a screenshot of the profile now controlled by someone else. For a fake profile or a phishing page, attach the URL, the profile handle and the message that lured you. For sextortion or a threat, attach the messages and the demand, without editing them in any way. Name each file so an officer can find it, and keep the originals on the device from which they were captured.
Coordinating the portal with the bank
The portal and the bank are two different systems, and neither automatically informs the other. After you file, send your bank the portal reference and ask again for the beneficiary account to be held. Ask for the bank reply in writing, and check whether the freeze actually succeeded. Where the bank says the funds are gone, keep that reply, because it dates the point at which recovery became impossible and is itself evidence in any later claim. If the bank asks you to file a fresh complaint through its own portal, do that as well and keep the reference; the two records are read together, and a bank that was told twice is harder to accuse of ignoring the fraud. Keep a note of the date and the name on each bank communication, because a pattern of reminders shows diligence and strengthens any later claim against the bank.
When to involve a lawyer
For a simple fraud, the portal and the 1930 call usually carry the matter forward. Legal help matters when the police do not register an FIR, when the bank denies liability, or when the case is contested. A lawyer can turn the portal reference into a registered case, draft the section 63 certificate, and press the freeze and restitution claims. Our cyber crime lawyer in West Bengal page explains local jurisdiction, and our contact page is the quickest route to a first assessment. File on the portal the same day, save the reference, and keep following up in writing.
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Call +91-9007000603 WhatsAppFrequently asked questions
How do I file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in?
Register with your mobile number and email, pick the correct category, and enter the incident, the location and the suspect details you hold. Upload indexed evidence, submit the form, and download the acknowledgement PDF. For a live money loss, also dial 1930 the same hour to request a freeze on the beneficiary account.
Is a cybercrime.gov.in complaint an FIR?
No. The portal complaint is a dated record with an acknowledgement number, not a registered FIR with a crime number. If it discloses a cognizable offence, you are entitled to an FIR under section 173 of the BNSS, and the acknowledgement is the material you rely on to demand one from the police station.
Which category should I choose on the portal?
Choose financial fraud when money has been lost and a transaction reference exists, because that route connects to the freeze process. Choose the other cyber crime category for hacking, fake profiles, sextortion or identity misuse. The category you choose decides whether the complaint reaches the freeze track or the investigation track.
Can I file on the portal for a fraud in another state?
Yes. The portal accepts complaints irrespective of where the offence occurred, and section 35 of the BNSS allows a zero FIR at any police station. The location you enter decides the police unit that receives the case, so enter it as accurately as you can to avoid delays and misrouting.
What happens after I submit the complaint?
The portal stores and routes your complaint and issues a reference. For a financial fraud it supports the freeze request, so confirm with your bank that the beneficiary account is on hold. For other offences, the case goes to the police unit for your stated location, which then decides how to proceed with it.
What if nothing happens after I file on the portal?
Follow up in writing quoting the acknowledgement, then approach the police station to demand an FIR under section 173 of the BNSS. If the station declines, apply to the magistrate under section 175(3) of the BNSS for a direction to investigate, attaching your evidence index and the portal reference to the application.
Is filing on cybercrime.gov.in free?
Yes, filing on the portal and calling the 1930 helpline are both free, and a registered FIR copy must be given to the informant free of cost. Never pay a private recovery agent to pursue your case; such requests are a second fraud and should be refused and reported to the police.
Information for general guidance only and not legal advice. Provisions cited follow the Information Technology Act 2000, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023.
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