Paid an Instagram seller by UPI and got scammed? What to do now

Do this in the first hour

1. Call 1930. Say you paid an online seller by UPI and they've blocked you. You'll get an acknowledgement number by SMS. If you can't get through, report it at cybercrime.gov.in as a financial fraud.
2. Finish your complaint at cybercrime.gov.in using that acknowledgement number, the same day. Add your screenshots.
3. Tell your bank. Call its fraud line, or open the payment in your UPI app and use its help or dispute option. Give them the UTR and your complaint number.
4. Save the evidence before it disappears. The list is below.

What to have ready

• The UTR. This is the 12-digit reference number for the payment. Open the payment in your UPI app. Apps call it the UTR, UPI reference number or UPI transaction ID.
• The amount, date and time of each payment.
• The UPI ID you paid and the name your app showed when you paid.
• The seller's Instagram handle and profile link, plus any phone number or website they gave you.
• Screenshots of the chat, the post or ad you bought from and their profile.

Screenshot their profile first. Scam accounts are often renamed or deleted within hours.

What happens after you report

Your complaint goes into a national system that alerts your bank and the bank your money went to. If the money is still there, that bank puts a hold on the amount you lost. It only works for money that hasn't been moved on, which is why every minute counts.

It does work. More than 24 lakh cyber crime complaints were filed on the national portal in 2025. By the end of that year, quick reports through this system had saved more than ₹8,189 crore since it started in 2021.

Getting held money back to you takes longer. Under a Home Ministry procedure from January 2026, held amounts under ₹50,000 can be returned without a court order. Larger amounts usually need an order from a court or a Lok Adalat, and the police handling your case can tell you how. Keep your acknowledgement number and stay in touch with them. It can take weeks or months.

If the money was moved before the hold, it may not come back. Report anyway. Your complaint can link this scammer to others and get their accounts and numbers blocked.

Can your bank or UPI app refund you?

Usually not on their own. A UPI payment you made yourself counts as authorised, even though you were tricked. RBI's rules that protect you from losses cover transactions you didn't make, such as someone else using your account. Still report it to the bank and in the app. It puts a record on file and the bank acts on the police hold.

If you paid by card, you have one more option. Ask your bank to dispute the payment for goods not received. Do it as early as you can, since card disputes have deadlines.

If your bank handles the complaint badly or doesn't reply within 30 days, you can complain to the RBI ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in. That's about how the bank treated you. It can't get money back from the scammer.

Report the account

• On Instagram: open their profile, tap the menu, then Report, Report account and Misleading or possible scam. Reports are anonymous.
• Their phone number: if they called, texted or messaged you on WhatsApp, report the number on Chakshu at sancharsaathi.gov.in.
• On VouchKart: find the seller and leave a review saying what happened. Stick to the facts: what you paid, when and what happened next. It's what the next buyer sees when they look this seller up.

Watch out for a second scam

After a scam, people are often contacted by "recovery agents" who offer to get the money back for a fee. They're scammers too. Real help is free.

• 1930, the police and your bank never ask for a fee, your UPI PIN or an OTP.
• Type cybercrime.gov.in into your browser yourself. Don't search for helpline numbers, since fake ones turn up in search results and comments.
• Ignore anyone in comments or DMs who says they can recover your money.

If the seller still replies but nothing arrives

That isn't always a scam. Some sellers are slow or disorganised. Ask in writing for a delivery date or your money back, with a deadline. If that fails, raise a dispute on the payment in your UPI app and complain to the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 or on WhatsApp at 8800001915. If it's still not resolved, you can file a consumer complaint online at e-jagriti.gov.in.

Before you pay the next seller

• Look them up on VouchKart. Check whether their website links back to their Instagram and whether their phone number matches.
• Check their UPI ID or number at cybercrime.gov.in's Suspect Search. A match means others have reported it. No match doesn't prove it's safe.
• Pay by card or through their own website's checkout when you can.
• Check the name your UPI app shows before you confirm. If it doesn't match the shop, stop.
• Be wary of an advance. A small one can be normal. See is a COD advance a scam?

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Helplines, portals and rules change, so we recheck this guide regularly. Complaint and recovery figures are from the Ministry of Home Affairs, as reported in the sources below.