The Bengaluru police have discovered that fraudsters have created a fake cybercrime reporting portal to exploit victims seeking help. A person who tried to report a fraud was duped into paying a “service fee.”
The police have started an investigation after Srinivas R, a sub-inspector associated with the 1930 cyber crime helpline, complained. The helpline assists cybercrime victims and facilitates case registrations on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
The FIR was registered on 27 January 2025 under sections 318(2) (deception for financial gain) and 318(4) (cheating and dishonest inducement for property delivery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The police discovered that an unknown individual had created a fake website titled Cyber Fraud Online Complaint – Cyber Crime Complaint Number 7501141599, Customers Legal Advice (www.customerslegaladvice.in), and promoted it on Google as a sponsored advertisement.
On 26 January 2025, a cyber-fraud victim from Bagalkote contacted the mobile number to report an incident. The responder promised assistance but duped the victim into paying Rs 1,999 as a “service fee”. The victim then alerted the authorities.
“This is a new fraud. People must be aware that reporting cybercrime is free,” said a senior police officer.
The police are now working to trace the creators of the fake website to prevent more people from falling prey to the scam.
