Free demo · Information Security · Lesson 3 · Phase 1 · Staying safe

Stay safe, and act fast if you are hit

A few habits stop almost every scam. And if money does leave your account, the first hour is the golden hour: fast reporting can freeze the money before it is withdrawn.

✓Do

  • Pause: urgency is the scammer's tool. Real banks and police never rush you.
  • Verify by calling back on a number from the card, the app or the official site.
  • Use a unique password per account and turn on two-factor authentication.
  • Keep your phone, apps and browser updated; install apps only from the Play Store or App Store.
  • Set UPI and card limits; keep a separate account for online payments.

✕Don't

  • Never share an OTP, UPI PIN, CVV or password, not even with “bank staff” or “police”.
  • Never enter your UPI PIN to receive money: a PIN only ever sends money.
  • Never install screen-sharing apps (AnyDesk, TeamViewer) for a caller.
  • Never open .apk files or links from unknown WhatsApp numbers.
  • Never “stay on the line” for a digital arrest. Hang up.

If money is stolen: the golden hour

  1. 1Call 1930 (national cyber-crime helpline) at once and note your complaint number.
  2. 2Report at cybercrime.gov.in. Keep screenshots, transaction IDs (UTR), numbers and messages as evidence.
  3. 3Call your bank's 24×7 fraud line: block cards and UPI, ask them to freeze the beneficiary account. The RBI's rules limit your liability if you report quickly.
  4. ✓Report the number on sancharsaathi.gov.in (Chakshu), change passwords from a clean device, file an FIR for large amounts, and warn your family.
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  10. Enrol

Tip: press → or Space to step through, ← to go back, R to replay.

About this lesson

The best defence against cyber fraud is a set of habits: pause when a message creates urgency, verify through a number you already trust, never share OTPs or UPI PINs, use unique passwords with two-factor authentication, keep devices updated and install apps only from official stores. If money is stolen anyway, speed matters. India's national cyber-crime helpline 1930 and the portal cybercrime.gov.in can ask banks to hold the money while it is still moving between fraudster accounts, which is why the first hour is called the golden hour. Also call your bank's fraud line to block cards and UPI, keep screenshots and transaction references as evidence, report the phone number on the Sanchar Saathi portal, and file an FIR for large losses. The full Phase 1 deck adds UPI, QR, fake-app, job and investment scams and a ten-question quiz.

Key points

  • Do and don't rules that stop most scams
  • The golden hour: 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in
  • Bank, evidence, Sanchar Saathi and FIR steps