UPI Fraud: How to Report It on PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, BHIM, CRED

Quick answer: report the payment inside the app you used and to your bank on the same day, then call 1930 and file at cybercrime.gov.in. Each app has its own in-app route and its own escalation steps, set out below, and the app is only the first rung. If it does not resolve the complaint, the ladder printed on Google Pay’s, Paytm’s and CRED’s UPI pages runs through the sponsor bank, your own bank and NPCI, and then to the RBI Ombudsman. Be realistic: a completed UPI payment cannot be reversed from your side, and what you may get back depends heavily on how fast you report and on whether the money is still frozen.

What to do in 3 steps

1. Report it in the app you paid with. Use the route for your app below. Choose the fraud or “I did not authorise this” option where the app offers one, write down the ticket or complaint number, and use only the support routes inside the app. Google Pay warns against phone numbers found on the internet.
2. Tell the bank that holds the account, the same day. How much of the loss falls on you under RBI’s rules depends on how quickly you notify the bank, so do not wait for the app to reply. Ask for a complaint number. Our India bank fraud help page lists bank contacts.
3. Call 1930 and file at cybercrime.gov.in. RBI’s June 2026 amendment directions (in force from 1 January 2027) tell banks to advise customers to lodge a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) at the earliest. For the general checklist of what to do first, see our earlier guide: what to do in the first 30 minutes of a UPI fraud. This article does not repeat it.

App by app: where to report

PhonePe

• In the app. PhonePe’s Trust & Safety page gives the fraud route as Help, then “Account security issue”, then “Report fraudulent activity”. Its contact page says to tap the help icon on the home screen and pick the topic, and its grievance policy adds that you can open the transaction under “History” and tap “Contact PhonePe Support”. Menus change, so follow what the app shows.
• Phone and web. 080-68727374 or 022-68727374; the grievance policy says customer support runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Trust & Safety page sends people who are not registered on PhonePe to support.phonepe.com to report an issue.
• Escalation, as PhonePe prints it. If Level 1 has not resolved it within 15 days or you are unhappy with the answer, the grievance desk at grievance.phonepe.com (PhonePe aims to resolve in 7 business days), then the Nodal and Principal Nodal Officers at [email protected]. PhonePe’s grievance policy states its RBI Ombudsman step for its prepaid products (wallet, gift cards, RuPay On-The-Go card) only.

Google Pay

• In the app. Per Google Pay’s support page: tap your profile picture, then Get help, then Contact Support, and choose Call or Chat. For one payment: transaction history, select the transaction, then “Having Issues?”. Its fraud page also offers a form for telling Google Pay about suspicious activity, to be used only for fraudulent activity.
• Phone. 1-800-419-0157. Its complaints policy says fraud complaints by phone are handled 24 hours a day. Chat runs 8 AM to 12 AM IST.
• Escalation. Level 2 form if Level 1 does not resolve it within 15 days, then, if Level 2 has not resolved it within 15 days, the Level 3 nodal officer by form or at [email protected] (the address is in the complaints policy), then NPCI or the RBI Ombudsman (Google Pay grievances). Its fraud page also tells victims to report to their bank and the local cyber crime police.

Paytm

• In the app. Paytm’s UPI help page: tap the Profile icon, then Help & Support (24x7 Help), describe the issue to the chat assistant, select the transaction, choose the closest issue and submit. Save the complaint reference number. For fraud, the same page says to call 1930 and tell your bank.
• Phone. The pages we read publish no fraud helpline. The grievance page lists 0120-4580000 only to send you a Help and Support link on WhatsApp.
• Escalation. Paytm’s grievance policy names [email protected] as the Level 2 team for consumer services, after a Level 1 ticket. Its UPI terms then give the order: PSP bank, your bank, NPCI, then the ombudsman.

BHIM

• In the app. BHIM’s FAQ describes ‘Report Issue’ on the Transaction page for failed or pending payments. It does not describe a fraud-specific path; it says complaints can be reported on the app.
• Phone and email. The FAQ gives the BHIM toll-free number 1800 120 1740 “for any queries or complaints”. BHIM’s Get in Touch page gives [email protected]. The pages we read name no grievance officer; NPCI’s UPI help portal is below.

CRED

• In the app. CRED’s customer care page: open More, tap Support, pick the recent transaction or topic, scroll down and tap Contact support.
• Phone. Not published on the official page we read. CRED says support is in-app.
• Escalation. The same page offers escalation to a grievance redressal officer if support leaves it unresolved, provided your ticket is open or was resolved in the last 30 days. CRED’s UPI FAQ says UPI complaints go first to the app, then the PSP bank (it lists Axis Bank), your bank and NPCI.

The five apps side by side

App	Helpline	In-app path as stated	Grievance route as stated
PhonePe	080-68727374 / 022-68727374	Help, Account security issue, Report fraudulent activity; or History, transaction, Contact PhonePe Support	Grievance desk (grievance.phonepe.com), then Nodal and Principal Nodal Officers ([email protected])
Google Pay	1-800-419-0157 (fraud calls 24 hours)	Profile picture, Get help, Contact Support; or transaction, Having Issues?	Level 2 form, then [email protected]
Paytm	Not published on the official page we read	Profile, Help & Support (24x7 Help), select transaction	[email protected] (Level 2, consumer services)
BHIM	1800 120 1740	Report Issue on the Transaction page (failed or pending payments); fraud path not published on the page we read	[email protected]; no grievance officer published on the pages we read
CRED	Not published on the official page we read	More, Support, choose transaction, Contact support	Grievance redressal officer, via CRED’s page

The escalation ladder

Google Pay’s NPCI roles page and CRED’s UPI FAQ print the same UPI dispute redressal mechanism in nearly the same words, and Paytm’s UPI terms give the same order. They link to NPCI’s own dispute-redressal page, but that page returned “Page Not Found” when we checked on 24 October 2026, so this is the ladder as those companies print it. Raise the complaint on the app first. If it stays unresolved, the next levels are the PSP bank, then your bank, then NPCI, in that order. After that you can approach the Banking Ombudsman or the Ombudsman for Digital Complaints.

1. The app and the sponsor bank. Use the routes above and keep the reference numbers.
2. Your bank. RBI’s directions require a bank to display its customer-protection policy with its grievance and escalation procedure, and to give you a complaint number.
3. NPCI. The NPCI UPI help portal (MyUPI) asks for the 12-digit UTR, your registered mobile number, the UPI address and the date. For a scam, its FAQ says to choose “Fraudulent Transaction” as the issue type and also report to cybercrime.gov.in or 1930. For a payment you did not authorise (you did not enter your PIN), it says to contact your bank at once to block your account and raise a “Fraud/Unauthorized Transaction” dispute on the portal.
4. RBI Ombudsman. Under the Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 (in force from 1 July 2026), you must first complain to the bank or other covered entity. You may go to the Ombudsman if there is no reply within 30 days (or the time set by RBI or NPCI, whichever is higher), or if you are unhappy with the reply. File within 90 days after that, free, at cms.rbi.org.in or [email protected]. The toll-free line is 14448, for guidance only. The scheme covers banks, certain NBFCs and non-bank prepaid issuers. Our reading: for a UPI payment, the complaint is usually against your bank.

Separately, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a 21 July 2026 PIB release that 1930 helps victims lodge online complaints, and that a money restoration module and a grievance module for frozen accounts and liens have been live since April 2026.

What RBI’s rules say about who bears the loss

These rules govern your bank’s liability, not the app’s.

• The rules today (first set in 2017). RBI set these rules in its circular on “Limiting Liability of Customers in Unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions”, RBI/2017-18/15, dated 6 July 2017, addressed to scheduled commercial banks (including regional rural banks), small finance banks and payments banks. For commercial banks, RBI has since moved the same rules, with the same time limits, into its Commercial Banks Responsible Business Conduct Directions, 2025 (paragraphs 64 to 76), which replaced the older circulars on 28 November 2025. Where the fault lies neither with the bank nor the customer and you notify the bank within three working days of its communication, your liability is zero. Between four and seven working days, it is capped at the transaction value or ₹5,000 to ₹25,000 depending on account type, whichever is lower. Beyond seven, the bank’s approved policy decides. If the loss is due to your negligence, such as sharing payment credentials, you bear the entire loss until you report it, and the bank bears losses after. The bank must credit the amount within 10 working days of your notification and resolve the complaint within 90 days. The burden of proving your liability lies on the bank.
• The 2026 amendment. RBI’s Third Amendment Directions, 2026 (RBI/2026-27/167, 24 June 2026) replace those paragraphs for transactions on or after 1 January 2027, so they do not cover a payment made today. RBI’s press release of the same day lists matching amendments for small finance, payments, local area, regional rural and co-operative banks, all taking effect on 1 January 2027. The amended rules set zero liability for a third-party breach, which includes a fault by an intermediary such as an app provider (TPAP), if you report it to the bank within five calendar days of the transaction; after that, the bank’s policy decides. For fraud the rules class as customer negligence, such as sharing credentials, a bona fide individual who lost up to ₹50,000 is paid 85 per cent of the net loss or ₹25,000, whichever is less, once in a lifetime, if the fraud was reported on cybercrime.gov.in or 1930 and to the bank within five calendar days. Banks must decide complaints about domestic fraud within 45 calendar days, and pay compensation within five calendar days of receiving your application for it. As written, the compensation covers only frauds occurring up to one year from the effective date.

Can you get your money back? Honest odds

• Not by reversing it yourself. Paytm says a completed UPI payment cannot be cancelled or reversed from the sender’s side. BHIM’s FAQ says a successful transaction cannot be reversed unless the beneficiary refunds.
• Dispute timing. NPCI’s MyUPI FAQ says most disputes are resolved in 3 to 7 working days, and that “Closed” means the bank refunded or gave a reason for rejection. That is a statement about disputes in general, not a recovery rate for fraud.
• Freezes are not refunds. MHA reports that, from 2021 to 2025, complaints on the national portal covered more than ₹55,050 crore and about ₹8,189 crore was marked as lien. That is roughly 15 per cent (our arithmetic), and a lien is a hold, not money returned.
• Who authorised it matters. The best-protected case is a payment you did not make that the bank classes as its or the system’s fault, reported fast. Under the rules in force today, if you gave out your PIN or credentials the loss can fall on you until you report. Under the 2026 amendment, a small loss from a fraud on or after 1 January 2027 may still qualify for compensation.

FAQ

Should I report to the app or the bank first?

Both, the same day. The UPI dispute mechanism the apps print starts with the app, but RBI’s liability windows are counted by when the bank is told.

I sent money to the wrong UPI ID. Is that fraud?

Not necessarily. Paytm says to complain in the app, contact your bank, and ask the recipient to return it if you can; if the payment was made because of fraud or a scam, it says to call 1930 at once and tell your bank. BHIM’s FAQ says to contact your bank and raise a complaint for a chargeback.

Does the ₹25,000 compensation apply to me?

Only if the fraudulent transaction happens on or after 1 January 2027, within the scheme’s first year, and meets the conditions in the RBI text above. A payment made today falls under the current rules. Ask your bank which rules apply to you.

Official helplines and complaint pages for each app, read on its own site: PhonePe, Paytm, Google Pay, BHIM, CRED, Amazon Pay and the full Mobile Wallet Fraud Help list. Fake trading apps and stock-tip groups are covered in our Investment Fraud Help directory (India).

Related guides: Bank account frozen after a crypto P2P trade, Lost money to a fake trading app or stock-tip group, Hacked demat or trading account.

We are an independent news site, not a bank, payment app, NPCI, RBI, the police or a recovery service, and this is general information, not legal advice. Details were checked against official pages on 23 and 24 October 2026 and can change. If you have been targeted, you are not alone: see our country-by-country cybercrime help hub for step-by-step reporting and recovery guides.