Fake hospital bill or ambulance emergency for a relative
A caller from a "hospital" says a relative was admitted after an accident and an advance payment is needed now.
Community reports: 0
How it works
- A caller who says he is a doctor or hospital staff tells you that your son, daughter or another relative has had an accident and is unconscious.
- He says treatment or surgery will start only after an advance is paid, and gives you a UPI ID or account number.
- Your relative was safe all along, and the caller disappears once the money is sent.
What it looks like
Example messages. Numbers and links are masked.
Hello, I am a doctor at the city hospital. Your son met with an accident and is in the ICU. We need Rs 50,000 advance for the operation now. Send on this UPI.
Aunty, the patient's phone is with me. Don't waste time, the doctor will not start without payment.
Red flags
- Unknown caller, relative not reachable
- Advance to a personal UPI ID
- No time allowed to call anyone
- Vague about the hospital's name or address
The one question to ask
Have you called your relative, or someone who is with them, on a number you already know?
Already paid or shared details?
Call 1930 at once: in the first hour the money can often still be frozen before it moves on. Then call your bank on the number printed on your card, and file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in with screenshots of every message and payment.
1930 · cybercrime.gov.in
Also seen as
- Ambulance driver asking for fuel money
- Fake police call about an accident needing a "settlement"
- Relative's "friend" calling for urgent medicine money