Scams — Citizen Crisis Desk (India 2026)

This is the scam command desk for India 2026. You will find 45+ citizen-tested guides covering fake-document scams, impersonation scams, investment Ponzi traps, romance and matrimonial fraud, recovery-agent fraud, and on-shop QR-skim fraud. Every guide is free, no login, no payment. The legal spine is BNS 2023 (Sections 318 cheating, 319 cheating by personation, 336 forgery), IT Act 2000 (Sections 66C identity theft, 66D cheating by personation using a computer resource), and the RBI Limited Liability Circular that resets your liability to zero if a fraud is reported within 3 working days.

Quick Answer — the 4-minute citizen drill if you suspect a scam: (1) Stop transacting and screenshot everything (numbers, UPI IDs, URLs, chat). (2) Verify the entity on the matching government portal (UIDAI / MCA / SEBI / TRAI Sanchar Saathi). (3) File NCRP at cybercrime.gov.in or dial 1930 within 30 minutes to freeze the receiving account. (4) Run FIR + bank-freeze + consumer-court complaints in parallel — under BNS 318 + IT Act 66D the police cannot refuse a Zero FIR (Lalita Kumari, 2014).

In this hub

  • Fake documents and fake government communications
  • Fake identities — recruiters, customer care, lawyers, police
  • Fake investments — Ponzi, MLM, chit funds, demat, mutual funds, gold
  • Fake gigs and fake job traps
  • Online betting, gambling and gaming traps
  • Romance, matrimonial and sextortion scams
  • Recovery, lottery and “you have won” scams
  • Shop-floor and street-level scams
  • Telegram, WhatsApp and social-media scams

Fake documents and fake government communications

Under BNS Section 336 (forgery) and IT Act Section 66D, anyone fabricating a government notice, e-challan or KYC form attracts up to 7 years in jail. The citizen drill: never click the PDF, verify on the matching .gov.in portal, screenshot, then file at cybercrime.gov.in.

Fake identities — recruiters, customer care, lawyers, police

Impersonation is the single largest scam vector in India 2026. The Supreme Court in Lalita Kumari v. State of U.P. (2014) made FIR-registration mandatory for cognisable offences like impersonation under BNS 319.

Fake investments — Ponzi, MLM, chit funds, demat, gold

A scheme promising guaranteed returns above bank FD rates without a SEBI / RBI licence is presumed illegal under the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act 2019. SEBI advisories cover demat and Telegram tip operators.

Fake gigs and fake job traps

The “work-from-home like-and-earn” pattern is treated as cheating under BNS 318 plus IT Act 66D because it weaponises a computer resource. NCRP 1930 is the first call.

Online betting, gambling and gaming traps

State-by-state gambling laws differ; Public Gambling Act 1867 plus state amendments govern most physical operations, while the IT Rules 2023 police online “real-money games of chance”. Tax kicks in under Section 115BBJ of the Income Tax Act.

Romance, matrimonial and sextortion

These attract BNS 318 / 319 plus IT Act 67 (publishing obscene material). NCW and cybercrime.gov.in run separate fast-tracks for women victims.

Recovery, lottery and "you have won"

A second payment to “release” a first prize is the canonical advance-fee fraud — BNS 318 plus IT Act 66D. Verify on the company's official portal first.

Shop-floor and street-level

Penal hooks: BNS 318 plus Consumer Protection Act 2019 Section 2(11) (deficient service) and Section 35 (district commission).

Run the tools

Last reviewed: 12 May 2026 — RTI Wiki editorial team.

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