In recent years, the Government of India has created several online tools to help citizens report cyber crimes, financial scams and other digital hazards. Some of these tools are Cyber Crime Department, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Telecom Department Communication Service. These organizations say that they are focused on helping people and have immediate dealing with severe cases such as fraud, identity theft and other crimes.
However, the reality for ordinary Indian citizens does not match these claims, which creates a worrying situation.
The main problem is the widespread distribution of messages of these agencies among mobile phone users in India. These messages usually provide people a helpline number, email address or link to file a complaint or report suspicious activity. According to the government, the purpose of these messages is to help the victims to take early action, report problems first and prevent further damage. Ideally, the purpose of such efforts is to warn cyber criminals by showing that an active and conscious system exists. Nevertheless, the method of real operation of these departments indicates real reaction, follow -up action and lack of accountability.
For example, the communication partner program began in May 2023 to create a digital platform. This platform allows people to block stolen mobile phones, track misuse of SIM cards and report telecom cheating. Millions of mobile users in India received text messages from the communication partner, stating that they could report problems such as stolen devices or suspicious calls. These messages promised fast help and clear processes.
However, when the real victims – whose phone duplicate or who had received unwanted silent calls – tried to call the free number or email, they did not get any help. The phone kept ringing without any answer, the email remained unanswered for weeks, and when the call was responded to, the employees often behave uninterrupted and cut the phone without completing the conversation. This negligence does not correspond to a sensitive complaint system. Similarly, the Cyber Crime Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs launched a campaign in August 2021 to deal with increasing online financial crimes like UPI Scam, Fishing, OTP fraud and SIM card swapping. People received messages in which they were urged to call them on the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or go to the website (Cybercrime.gov.in).
Despite these efforts, which included many awareness initiatives promising quick response, police assistance and even the recovery of lost funds, the victims had to face a different situation on seeking help-which was not even around the promise.
Since December 2022, many people have told us that after losing money in scams associated with UPI (a payment system), they called the helpline 1930 and sent detailed emails about their problems. However, they often received automatic answers or no answer. For example, in January 2023, a person in Uttar Pradesh lost Rs 45,000 in the UPI scam. The person tried to contact the 1930 helpline fifteen times in two days. When he finally approached someone, the person present on the other side treated indecent and said that nothing could be done, then cut the phone. Even after this, despite sending several follow-up emails, the victim did not get any help.
The victim then tried to report the problem on a special cyber crime website, but his complaint was ‘under review’ for more than four months. This type of situation is often happening. There is also a problem that there is no way to advance complaints. When a person reports crime on cybercrime.gov.in site, sends email to sanchar.saathi@gov.in, or contacts the CBI via his email, they usually do not know who is looking at their case, whether there is any progress, or their complaint has been dismissed. When the victims try to get the update, they often find that the phone lines are cut, no response is found, or they are treated with doubt or disrespect. For example, in July 2024, an IT employee from Bangalore was blackmailed by an cheater using deepfec technology, pretending to be a jobman. The police officers ignored his email after filing a complaint in a cyber crime unit, sending screenshots and personally to Bengaluru Cyber Police as he did not get any reply for ten days.
This problem is also related to the functioning of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI does not mainly take responsibility for everyday internet crimes or money -related scams. Rather, it focuses on serious cases that are connected to a large area or several countries. Recently, many people are receiving fake emails or text messages that they can contact the CBI about those who pretend to be internet scams or someone else. However, when the victims try to inform these problems by sending an email or letter to the CBI, they often do not get any answer or acknowledgment. Some victims have also tried to call in CBI offices located in Delhi or other areas, but either their phone is not answered or when the phone is picked up, employees behave indecently and they say ‘we do not see such matters’ or ‘go to our local police’, and then cut the phone.
For example, in February 2024, a startup founder in Hyderabad, who was a victim of a large investment scam, tried to contact the CBI with evidence of the scam, but the CBI ignored him. He tried to contact him ten times a week, but he received no response. This constant negligence and bad attitude arises an important question as to why these agencies are sending so many messages to the public. If they do not have enough employees, resources or will to help people help in problems, then why are they spending money on sending text messages on a large scale? If public messages are sent daily across India, in which people are told how to register their problems, then it is appropriate that they also answer phone calls, answer the email and take the concerns of the victims seriously.
Fraud victims face severe emotional pain, and this pain becomes worse when they not only lose money or feel unhappy, but they are also treated badly by a system that does not care about their pain. People expect help from digital services, but instead of getting any help, they often get nothing or harsh reactions. Such behavior of organizations is cruel and makes it difficult for the victims to report crimes. This gives criminals a chance to keep doing bad things because the victims feel that they have no place to ask for help. From October 2023 to March 2024, several activists working to receive information filed requests in places like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. They wanted to know how quickly these assistance centers respond to calls or emails, and hope to get answers within a day.
Instead, they got unclear or incomplete information, some said that they did not pay any attention to such details at all. This shows that there is no effective way to measure the way these services work, which is contrary to the purpose of helping the complainants, as it is impossible to justify anyone without a record. Communication related problems are not only a slow response, but also associated with the behavior of government employees. Employees of these departments, especially 1930 cyber helpline or communication partner call centers, often lack training to deal with sensitive conditions.
The May 2024 report states that some callers were scolded, called ‘irresponsible’, and even mocked when they were sharing their scam experiences. This behavior not only makes the callers feel embarrassed, but also reduces their chances of getting justice in the future.
Sometimes, when people do not get answers to calls or they get dry answers, they feel that they will have to contact private cyber security companies or legal firms to help. This is not the work of government money -powered public security services. The whole process has collapsed from sending messages, lodging complaints to solutions to the problem. It seems that the system works only to send announcements and alerts, but really no one helps people. It seems that these departments are more interested in showing their work while doing their work properly.
In addition, there is no good way to follow complaints. When people file a complaint and receive reference numbers, the system often does not give any updates, simply shows “on progress” without any additional knowledge. From June 2023, many people stated on social media that their complaints were stuck for more than 8 to 10 months without any notice, even after sending the reminder. The emails were unheard, the call was not responded, and when they tried to call again, they faced the same old problems: rough answers, refusal to take responsibility, or to be cut off.
This creates a serious crisis of faith. If public safety services are unable to respond properly, all the money spent on digital awareness programs, server maintenance, SMS fee, staffing and policy-making will go in vain. The real danger is that common people – especially elderly citizens, women, students and technically skilled people – feel abandoned, insecure and neglected by those institutions, whose job is to protect them.
A very worrying thing is that there is no real change or improvement in departments responsible for helping people. Although journalists, activists and victims focused on the Right to Information (RTI) have reported problems on social media platforms like X (East Twitter) and Facebook and have written about it in news articles from September 2023 to July 2024, yet there is no special change. There has been no restructuring from these departments, no apology has been sought, and no one has had to suffer any punishment for his bad behavior.
They have not given any clarification, and they keep sending the same message without answering phone calls or emails. This situation exposes a serious discrepancy between expressing its concern about problems and actually taking action.
These departments appear to focus more on looking good rather than real improvement. They want to see citizens helping, but are not making necessary efforts to listen to their concerns. This is a serious failure that needs immediate attention. If these digital services have to regain public confidence, then they have to make major changes. This means appointing the right people, training the employees to communicate well with the victims, applying the rules about how soon to answer the inquiry and talk openly about the method of settlement of complaints. Until they do this, the existing reality – where the helpline does not get answers and the emails remain unheard – the situation does worse for the needy people.
If they cannot answer these citizens questions, then they should stop sending messages that give false expectations to people. It is better to make such promises that no promise should be made which cannot be fulfilled.
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