If you have been cheated through a fake investment or trading app, you should report it as a cyber financial fraud as quickly as possible. In India, the most important first step is to call 1930 and report the fraud through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
Steps to complain about a fake investment app
Call 1930 immediately if you have transferred money. Quick reporting can help authorities and banks take steps to prevent further movement of the funds.
File an online complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and select the financial fraud option. The portal allows victims to submit and track cybercrime complaints.
Preserve all evidence, including:
Screenshots of the investment app
App name and download link
Website URL
WhatsApp/Telegram conversations
Phone numbers and email IDs
Bank/UPI transaction details
Transaction IDs and payment receipts
Screenshots showing your investment and blocked withdrawals
Inform your bank or payment provider immediately and request that the fraudulent transaction be investigated or placed under appropriate fraud procedures.
Report the suspicious app or website through the cybercrime portal's suspect-reporting facility. The portal accepts reports concerning suspicious website URLs, phone numbers, email IDs, WhatsApp/Telegram handles and social-media URLs.
If the fake app was pretending to be a SEBI-registered investment or trading platform, you can also complain to SEBI. SEBI provides investor grievance facilities and warns specifically about fake trading-app scams involving social-media groups, fake profits and blocked withdrawals.
Important: Do not pay additional "withdrawal fees," "taxes," "verification charges," or "account unlocking fees" to the scammers. These are common tactics used in fake investment-app scams. SEBI specifically warns about unrealistic returns, payments to third-party accounts and fake trading apps.
If a substantial amount is involved, you should also consider making a written complaint to the local cyber-crime police station/police authorities and keep the complaint acknowledgement number safely.
