Grahak Mitra

Plain, verified guides to digital consumer self-help in India. We explain the official process in plain language, link the government portals so you can act directly, and never take your personal data.

Guides

Report & recover

• UPI fraud: what to do in the first hour — the first steps after money leaves your account: who to call, where to report.
• How to report fraud: cybercrime.gov.in, 1930 — the two official channels, and what you need before you file.
• RBI zero-liability rules: who bears the loss — RBI zero-liability rules: when the bank bears the loss for an unauthorised transaction.
• Bank dispute for an unauthorised transaction — how to file a bank dispute for an unauthorised transaction, step by step.
• Wrong UPI transfer: how to try to get it back — sent money to the wrong UPI ID? How to try to get it back, and the realistic odds.
• 1930 helpline: what happens when you call — what the national cyber-fraud helpline is, when it helps, and what to expect after you call.

Recognise the scam

• Digital arrest scam: what it is, what to do — fake police, CBI, customs or courier calls demanding money, and the red flags.
• KYC update and OTP scams: what to do — "your KYC will expire" links and anyone asking for your OTP.
• Fake bank customer care number scam — a "helpline" number from a search, ad, or SMS can be a scammer's; find it only from your card or the bank's own site.
• QR code scam: you never scan to receive money — scanning a QR or entering your UPI PIN only ever pays; you never receive money that way.
• AnyDesk screen-sharing scam: what to do — no genuine bank or office asks you to install a screen-sharing app; steps if you already did.
• SIM swap fraud: signs and what to do — your own phone suddenly losing signal for no reason can mean your SIM was swapped; the time-critical steps to reclaim your number.

Investment & trading scams

• How to recognise investment and trading scams — the tells: assured "fixed" returns, pressure to deposit fast, a tips/VIP group, an app that shows profits but won't let you withdraw, the romance-then-crypto play, and a "fee" to withdraw. No legitimate investment guarantees returns.
• Investment scam or can't withdraw: what to do — stop sending money, never pay a "fee" to withdraw, preserve evidence, and report to 1930 / cybercrime.gov.in. And beware the "recovery" scam — no one can promise your money back.
• How to check if an advisor is SEBI-registered — verify an advisor, analyst, or broker against SEBI's public lists before you trust them. Honest limit: registration is a floor, not a guarantee of profit or safety.

Job & task scams

• Recognise a job, work-from-home or task scam — the tells: an upfront "fee", "deposit", "registration", "training-kit", or "security" charge to get or start the job; pay that's too good to be true; a Telegram/WhatsApp "like & earn" or "rate hotels" task; a fake offer letter with no interview; being asked for your bank details, OTP, or KYC before any real work; and a "job" that's really moving money for someone else. A real job pays you — you never pay to get it.
• Paid for a fake job: what to do now — stop paying, never pay a "fee" to release your salary or refund, preserve evidence, and report to 1930 / cybercrime.gov.in. And beware the "recovery" scam — no one can promise your money back.
• Is this job offer genuine? How to check — verify the company yourself, expect a real interview, watch for look-alike email domains and fake offer letters, and never share bank, OTP, or KYC details before a verified hire. No legitimate employer charges you to get hired.

Get your account back

• Account compromised? First steps, where to go — the calm, universal first moves for any account, then a route table to the right guide. Start here.
• Hacked WhatsApp: how to recover your account — re-verify your own number to log the hacker out, set a two-step PIN, and warn your contacts.
• Hacked Instagram or Facebook: how to recover — use the platform's account-recovery flow, then remove unknown sessions and connected apps so they can't return.
• Email compromised: what to do first, in order — your email is the master key; regain access, remove attacker-set forwarding and recovery changes, then two-factor — changing only the password is not enough.
• How to secure your accounts after a SIM swap — once your number is back, re-secure email and bank/UPI first, then move off SMS-OTP to an authenticator app so a future swap can't take you over.

Shopping & refund disputes

• Refund rights: Consumer Protection Act 2019 — what you can ask for — refund, replacement, or compensation — and how to pursue it. A right to seek redress, not a guaranteed refund.
• File a consumer complaint online on e-Jagriti — a step-by-step walkthrough of the official portal, plus the National Consumer Helpline (1915) as the easier first step.
• Seller not delivering? Your escalation ladder — the escalation ladder: the platform's grievance officer, then the National Consumer Helpline (1915), then e-Jagriti.
• Fake product from a marketplace: what to do — the ordered path: document the evidence, use the platform's return/grievance channel, then NCH 1915, then e-Jagriti. A process, not a guaranteed refund.
• Refund vs replacement vs repair: your rights — which remedy you can seek under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 depends on the defect, the product, and the policy — not a free choice, not a guaranteed outcome.
• Card chargeback: how to dispute a payment — which rules apply to a merchant dispute, a charge you never made, or a failed payment that still left your account; RBI's timelines, and how to escalate.
• National Consumer Helpline 1915: how it works — a government service that takes up your complaint and pushes it with the company, via 1915, the NCH/UMANG app, or consumerhelpline.gov.in. It mediates — it is not a court and cannot guarantee a refund; binding orders go to a consumer commission via e-Jagriti.
• Consumer court case: cost and time it takes — filing fees are nominal and set by the rules (they go by what you paid, not what you claim; no fee if you paid ₹5 lakh or less), and you can represent yourself. The law sets a target time for disposal, but real cases can take longer. No promised outcome.

Loan apps & harassment

• Loan-app harassment: what to do — the harassment is illegal and not your fault: do not pay under threat, document everything, and report to the right places. Start here.
• Is a loan app legal? Check if RBI-regulated — a legal digital lender is an RBI-regulated bank or NBFC, or lends with one; the red flags of an illegal app, and how to check an app against the RBI's list.
• Recovery agents: RBI rules, how to complain — the RBI conduct rules — no threats, no odd-hour calls, no contacting your contacts — and the complaint path from the lender to the RBI.
• Loan app took your contacts: your data rights — that misuse is illegal and not your fault: the RBI limit on what a lender may collect, how to revoke access and ask for deletion, and where to report it as a crime.
• Fix a wrong loan-app entry on a credit report — dispute a wrong or disputed entry through the bureau and the lender, and escalate to the RBI Ombudsman; a process, not a guaranteed instant removal.

Spam & your data

• Stop spam calls and SMS: DND, 1909, its limit — register on DND and report unwanted marketing to 1909; the honest limit is that this curbs registered telemarketing, not a fraud SMS, which goes to 1930 / cybercrime.
• DPDP Act: your data rights in plain language — the rights the Act gives you — to know, correct, and erase your data — with the honest scope that these rights start in mid-May 2027.
• Your data was in a breach: what to do, calmly — the calm, ordered response to a third-party leak: change reused passwords, turn on two-factor, and watch for scam calls that use your leaked details. You can't un-leak data, but you can limit the damage.