#25Working adultsWebsitePhone callFull guideFake apps, links and helplines

Fake customer care number found through a search

You search for a helpline and call a number planted by scammers, who then guide you into sharing access or paying.

Community reports: 0

How it works

You search online for the helpline of a bank, airline, courier or app, and call a number shown in the results or on a map listing.
The person who answers sounds professional and asks you to install a support app or to send Rs 1 or Rs 10 to "verify".
The app or the payment request gives them access to your money.

What it looks like

Example messages. Numbers and links are masked.

Refund helpline 24x7: call 88XXXXXX21 for instant refund of failed transactions (seen on a map listing or a forum post)

Sir, to process your refund please download AnyDesk and share the 9-digit code.

Red flags

A helpline found through search, not the official app or website
A request to install a screen-sharing app
A request to pay a small amount to receive a refund
A mobile number given as a company helpline

The one question to ask

Did you get this number from the company's own app or website?

Already paid or shared details?

Switch off mobile data and Wi-Fi, uninstall any app they made you install, and call your bank on the number on your card to block cards and UPI. Change your banking and email passwords from a different phone. If any money has left, call 1930 at once.

1930 · cybercrime.gov.in

Also seen as

Fake airline refund desks
Fake courier and e-commerce helplines
Fake UPI app support

What people are saying

ScamBhai desk2026-10-25Fake customer care number found through a search

The fake customer care number trap. A woman's refund for a cancelled flight has not arrived, so she searches online for the airline's helpline and calls the first number she sees. A helpful agent picks up immediately and says he will process the refund right away.

He asks her to install a "support" app so he can guide her, then to open her UPI app and enter ₹1 to "verify" her account. With the…

From the ScamBhai desk: a composite of common reports, not one person's story

#CustomerCareScam

Replies: 0

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