Direct answer. File complaints in this order and within these timelines: (1) call 1930 immediately, (2) file at cybercrime.gov.in within 72 hours, (3) visit your bank with screenshots within 7 days, (4) file a written grievance with the bank's nodal officer, (5) escalate to the Banking Ombudsman at 30 days, (6) file an RTI to the cyber cell at 30 days for case status, (7) consult a lawyer if the amount exceeds ₹50,000. This guide gives you the exact portal, the exact phone number, the exact template letter for each step.
This is the bookmark page. Every other gambling-fraud guide on this site links here.
| Step | Where | When | Cost |
| — | — | — | — |
| 1 | 1930 call | Immediately | Free |
| 2 | cybercrime.gov.in | Within 72 hours | Free |
| 3 | Your bank branch | Within 7 days | Free |
| 4 | Bank's nodal officer | Within 14 days | Free |
| 5 | Banking Ombudsman | After 30 days of bank inaction | Free |
| 6 | RTI to cyber cell | At day 30 | ₹10–₹50 RTI fee |
| 7 | Lawyer / PMLA / class action | If amount > ₹50K | Variable |
Take with you:
Ask for:
Every bank has a Customer Grievance Nodal Officer listed on its website (search “[bank name] nodal officer”). Send a written complaint:
The bank must respond within 30 days under the RBI Customer Service Framework 2022.
If the bank fails to respond in 30 days, or the response is unsatisfactory:
At day 30 if no FIR has been registered or progress is opaque:
If the PIO stalls — file a First Appeal at day 31 using the First Appeal Builder.
If the amount is significant (> ₹50,000) or the operator is part of a known network (Mahadev, Lotus365, Parimatch, 1xBet, Dafabet):
Krish, 27, junior accountant from Surat, lost ₹62,000 on a Lotus365 lookalike during IPL 2025. He executed all 7 steps over 14 weeks:
Krish's loss was not fully recovered — that is the median outcome. But his complaint contributed to the block, the FIR, the ED case, and ₹4,200 back. Each step compounded.
``` To, The Nodal Officer (Customer Grievance) [Bank Name] [Branch / HO Address]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]
Subject: Complaint under the RBI Customer Service Framework 2022 — illegal betting app fraud — transaction dated [DD/MM/YYYY] — Cybercrime Acknowledgement No. [XXXXX]
Sir/Madam,
I, [Full Name], Account No. [XXXXX], hold a savings account with your [Branch] branch. On [date], a UPI transaction of ₹[amount] was debited from my account to merchant VPA [merchant@bank], identified as belonging to an illegal online gambling/betting platform [App Name].
I have already (i) called 1930 at [time, date] (Acknowledgement No. [XXXX]) and (ii) filed at cybercrime.gov.in on [date] (Complaint No. [XXXX]), copies of which are enclosed.
I request the following actions under the RBI Customer Service Framework 2022:
1. Internal flagging of the merchant VPA to prevent further deposits from any account at your bank. 2. Charge-back attempt under the NPCI UDIR mechanism (form filed on [date]). 3. Coordination with my state's cyber cell on the freeze request. 4. Written response within the 30-day statutory period.
In the absence of response, I shall escalate to the Banking Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in.
Yours sincerely, [Signature] [Full Name] [Phone] [Email]
Encl: 1. Cybercrime acknowledgement; 2. UPI screenshot; 3. Bank statement extract; 4. UDIR chargeback acknowledgement. ```
(Auto-generated by AI RTI Drafter in 60 seconds — the template is built in.)
Q: I lost ₹2,000. Is it worth all this? Yes. Even small complaints aggregate into class actions and inform freeze decisions. They take 60 minutes total over 14 weeks. The wider system fights back only when victims file.
Q: Will my name become public? No. Cybercrime.gov.in complaints are confidential. Your name appears in the FIR (which becomes accessible only to investigators and the accused, on chargesheet). Bank complaints are confidential. RTI replies do not name you.
Q: I am from a small town with a slow cyber cell. What do I do? File at cybercrime.gov.in regardless — it auto-routes. Then file an RTI to the State Cyber Coordinator (state HQ) — state cells are usually faster than district cells.
Q: My account has been frozen because I deposited on a betting app. What now? Visit the branch with KYC; ask for the lien copy and the cyber-cell notice; respond to the cyber cell within 7 days disclosing source of funds and that you were the victim, not the operator. Most freezes lift in 8–14 weeks.
Q: Can I sue the betting app directly? Not practically (jurisdiction is offshore). Sue the banks only if they failed in their KYC/grievance duties. Use the system: cyber cell + ED + Ombudsman.
The complaint ladder works. Not perfectly, not fast — but it works. Each rung compounds: the call to 1930 helps the freeze; the cybercrime.gov.in filing builds the FIR; the bank visit blocks the merchant; the Ombudsman holds the bank to its duty; the RTI keeps the cell honest.
Save this page. Save the helpline numbers. The day someone in your family loses money on a betting app, you'll know exactly what to do in the first 72 hours.
This is the page that should sit in every cricket WhatsApp group during IPL season.
Tap the link below — opens in your browser. Then save the PDF or share to WhatsApp.
A4 size · ~270 KB · plain language · forward freely.
Written by the RTI Wiki editorial team. Last reviewed 2026-04-28. Templates aligned with current RBI Customer Service Framework + cybercrime.gov.in workflow. Not legal advice.