How to file a TeamViewer fraud complaint in India step by step

By Advocate Panchanand Shaw, Bar Council of West Bengal · Published 2 Nov 2026 · Court process

File in three places on the same day: call 1930 for a freeze request, submit the portal complaint on cybercrime.gov.in, and give a written complaint at the police station for an FIR under section 173 of the BNSS 2023. Carry the beneficiary account details and the TeamViewer session log.

There is no single form called a TeamViewer fraud complaint. You file a complaint about a person who used remote-access software to deceive you, and the fact that the software was TeamViewer is a detail of the method, not the name of the offence. In practice you file in three places at once: the national helpline on 1930, the portal at cybercrime.gov.in, and the police station with territorial jurisdiction. Each filing produces a different reference number, and you will need all three.

This guide is the filing itself, not the background. It assumes you have already disconnected the machine and stopped further loss. If you are still inside the incident, deal with containment first and come back. The words you put in the complaint matter more than its length, because an officer reads the first paragraph and decides whether this is a cheating case, a hacking case or a banking dispute.

Step 1: Assemble the facts on one page before you type anything

Write a chronology with times, not adjectives. The format that works is a table you build for yourself, not for filing: what happened, when, on which device, and what it cost. Fraud complaints fail at the counter because the complainant cannot state the beneficiary details, and the officer has no starting point for a freeze request.

Detail	Where to find it	Why the officer needs it
Date and time of the remote session	TeamViewer connection log	Fixes the window for account queries
Caller's number and call duration	Phone call log, screenshots	Identifies the network used
Amount, UPI ID or account, reference number	Bank SMS and statement	Basis of the freeze request
App installed and permissions granted	Phone settings, install history	Shows the access mechanism
Device identifiers	Phone settings, IMEI, IP logs	Links the offence to a device
Communications with the fraudster	WhatsApp, email, SMS	Proves inducement and personation

Step 2: Call 1930 and get the reference number

The call is the only step with a hard clock. Give the operator the beneficiary UPI ID or account number, the amount, the time of debit and the bank reference number from the SMS. Ask specifically for a freeze or hold request on the beneficiary account and note the complaint reference. If the money moved through a payment aggregator, say so, because the request goes to a different desk.

Write the reference number on the same page as your chronology. Every later filing will ask for it, and reconstructing it from memory three weeks later is avoidable misery.

Step 3: File the portal complaint on cybercrime.gov.in

The portal asks you to choose a category. For this fact pattern the honest choice is cheating, with unauthorised access noted in the description. Do not select a category that describes the loss as a commercial dispute; the portal routes categories to different units and a misrouted complaint sits idle.

Attach the chronology, the bank statement page showing the debit, the call log screenshot, and the TeamViewer log export. There is an upload size limit per file, so compress the log to a text or PDF export rather than screenshots of every line. Save the acknowledgement PDF. The acknowledgement number is not an FIR number and does not by itself start an investigation, but it is proof of the date you reported, which matters later for the bank claim.

Step 4: Write the written complaint for the police station

The station will accept a written complaint even where it prefers you to have filed online. Carry two copies and ask for a receipt stamp on your copy. If the officer declines to register, ask for the reason in writing; a refusal recorded on paper is the foundation of the application you may later make to a magistrate.

Use a short structure: identity and contact, the facts in time order, the sections you say are attracted, the loss, the evidence attached, and the relief sought. A workable draft reads like this.

I state that on [date] at about [time] I received a call from [number] from a person who claimed to be [claim]. On that inducement I installed TeamViewer and granted remote access. Within [minutes] an amount of Rs [amount] was debited from my [bank] account [number] to UPI ID [id] / account [number] at [bank]. The transaction reference is [number]. I reported the matter on 1930 at [time] and received reference [number], and filed portal complaint [number]. I seek registration of an FIR for offences under section 66 and 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and a request to the beneficiary bank to freeze the account. The documents listed below are attached.

Note what the draft does not do. It does not accuse a named person you cannot identify. It does not use the word fraud without a section. It does not claim a sum you cannot support with a statement. An FIR naming an unknown accused is normal in cyber cases, and the investigation identifies the account holder through the bank's KYC records.

Step 5: Write to the bank on the same day

The police complaint and the bank claim run on separate tracks with different tests. The bank's obligation arises under the Reserve Bank's framework for unauthorised electronic transactions. Your email should state that the transaction was unauthorised, give the date and time you detected it, list the debits, state that you have reported to 1930 and the portal with reference numbers, and ask for the transaction to be treated as unauthorised and for the amount to be credited back.

Ask for a written acknowledgement within the turn-around time the bank publishes. Do not accept a phone call as the response; a written decision with reasons is what the ombudsman and the civil court will look at. If the bank asks you to sign a declaration that you authorised the transaction in order to process a chargeback, read it before signing. Such a declaration can be used against you later.

Step 6: Preserve the device evidence properly

Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 governs the admissibility of electronic records. It requires a certificate in the prescribed form identifying the record, describing how it was produced, and giving the details of the device and the person in control of it. A screenshot pasted into a complaint without that certificate is weak evidence; a hash value computed over the exported log, recorded with the date and the device, is much stronger.

Practical sequence: export the TeamViewer connection log to a file, compute a hash of the file using a standard tool, copy the file to two separate media, and note the hash, the date and the tool used in a short certificate. Do the same for the call log, the SMS thread and the chat. If you are not comfortable with the technical steps, ask a lawyer or a forensic vendor to do it before the phone is reset or sold. Once the phone is wiped, the record is gone and section 63 cannot rescue it.

Step 7: Follow up in writing, on a schedule

Investigations stall for administrative reasons more often than for legal ones. A written follow-up every two to three weeks, quoting the FIR number and asking for the status of the bank query and the freeze, keeps the file active. If the officer has sent a notice to the beneficiary bank, ask for the date of the notice and the response. If nothing has moved after a reasonable period, the remedy is an application before the magistrate, not a louder email.

What the officer does with your complaint after you leave

Understanding the desk process tells you what to follow up on. The complaint is entered in the station diary and placed before the officer in charge, who decides whether the facts disclose a cognizable offence. If they do, an FIR is registered and an investigating officer is assigned. That officer then writes to the payment network and the beneficiary bank for the account holder's KYC and statement, sends a preservation notice to the platform that hosted the communication, and may requisition the call detail record from the telecom operator.

Each of those requests has its own response time and each can be answered late. The freeze on the beneficiary account is a separate request made through the payment network, and it is not automatic on registration of the FIR. If you want the money held, ask in writing for the freeze to be requested and for the date of the request. A file where the officer has recorded the request date moves faster on review than one where nobody knows whether the request was sent.

If the police will not register your complaint

Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 requires the officer in charge to register an FIR for a cognizable offence. Where the station treats the matter as a civil dispute or sends you to the bank, section 175(3) of the BNSS 2023 allows you to approach the magistrate with the facts, and the magistrate may direct an investigation. For a refusal to record information, section 173(4) provides the remedy of sending the substance in writing to the Superintendent of Police.

These are not technicalities. A cheating complaint routed as a banking complaint loses the freeze, loses the device evidence, and ends in a written rejection from the bank with no criminal case behind it.

Mistakes that cost complainants the case

Filing only online and never visiting a station, so no investigating officer is assigned.
Filing only at the station and never calling 1930, so no freeze request is raised while funds remain.
Describing the loss as a "technical error" or "bank issue" rather than deception. The language chosen decides the category.
Sending screenshots without the section 63 certificate, or resetting the phone before export.
Complaining against the bank instead of against the unknown fraudster. The criminal complaint is against the person who deceived you; the bank claim is a separate civil and regulatory matter.
Missing the reporting window and then arguing about it instead of explaining the delay honestly. An explained delay is better than a concealed one.

When a lawyer helps at the filing stage

Most complainants can complete steps one to five alone. Counsel is useful when the loss is large enough to justify an immediate freezing application, when the station has refused to register and an application under section 175(3) of the BNSS 2023 is needed, when the bank has already rejected the claim in writing, or when the person facing the complaint is you. Filing a complaint is cheap; filing a defective one and losing six weeks is not.

For the procedure in West Bengal, including which station and which court, see the West Bengal cyber crime jurisdiction page. If you need help drafting the complaint and the section 63 certificate together, the contact page explains what to send in the first message.

Need help with a cyber crime matter?

Tell me what happened and I will tell you what to file, where, and by when. First conversation is free.

Call +91-9007000603 WhatsApp

Frequently asked questions

Is there a separate complaint form for TeamViewer fraud?

No. You file a complaint about cheating and unauthorised access, and the remote-access software is described as the method used. The portal category to choose is cheating, with the unauthorised access and identity theft sections set out in the description box of the same online form.

Do I have to file both on 1930 and at a police station?

Yes, and they do different work. The 1930 call triggers a freeze request to the beneficiary bank while funds may still be traceable. The station complaint produces an FIR and an investigating officer. Filing only one leaves half the remedy unused and weakens the bank claim.

What documents should I attach to the complaint?

A one-page chronology with times, the bank statement page showing the debit, the UPI or account reference number, the caller's number from the call log, the TeamViewer connection log export, and the chat or email messages. Add the section 63 BSA certificate for each electronic record.

Can I file the complaint in a city where I do not live?

A cyber crime complaint can be filed through the portal from anywhere, and it is routed to the unit with jurisdiction over the offence or the victim. For a loss in Kolkata, the Kolkata Police cyber crime unit handles it. Physical filing is normally done where the offence occurred or where the account is held.

What if the police station refuses to register my FIR?

Ask for the refusal in writing. Then send the substance of the information to the Superintendent of Police under section 173(4) of the BNSS 2023, or apply to the magistrate under section 175(3), who may direct an investigation. Keep the portal acknowledgement as proof of the date you first reported.

How do I prove the remote session happened?

Export the TeamViewer connection log, which records the session time, duration and the device connected. Preserve the call log showing the incoming call and its duration, and the SMS thread with the OTP and debit messages. Hash the exports and record the hash in a section 63 certificate.

Does filing a complaint cost anything?

No. The 1930 helpline, the cybercrime.gov.in portal and the registration of an FIR are all free of charge. Money is spent only if you engage a private forensic vendor for a hash certificate or a lawyer for drafting and applications, and those are separate commercial arrangements made by you.

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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