Retirees are the number-one demographic for financial fraud in India — because the corpus is large, the schemes look legitimate, and the pressure feels urgent. This page is the practical checklist we'd give our own parents.
Each one uses a different pretext but the goal is identical: get you to share an OTP, transfer money, or approve a UPI request. Learn the pitch and the tell — the "move" is what to do instead.
CPAO, CPPC and your bank never phone pensioners to request an OTP. Revisions are credited automatically after a DoPPW notification.
Disconnect. Call your bank's pension helpline printed on the passbook. Report the calling number to 1930.
Jeevan Pramaan is free and self-service. It uses biometric or face authentication on the official app — no agent needs an OTP from you.
Renew yourself via the Jeevan Pramaan app or through Doorstep Banking. If unsure, walk into your bank branch.
Arrears follow official orders and are credited automatically. No department calls to "confirm" the account for a credit.
Verify pending arrears only through pensionseva.sbi or the pension cell at your branch. Nothing else.
RBI has been explicit: banks never call, SMS or email asking for OTP, PIN, CVV or full card number. Any urgency-and-OTP combination is a scam.
Hang up. Call the number on the back of your debit card. Report the call to 1930 within the hour.
Real URLs use exactly pensionseva.sbi and onlinesbi.sbi. Impostor URLs add extras: pensionseva-sbi.co, sbi-pensionseva.com, sbi.pension.help. Apps must be published by "State Bank of India" on Play Store.
Delete anything installed via an SMS or WhatsApp link. Bookmark the real URL and only visit from that bookmark.
Regulated instruments today yield roughly 6.5–8.5% (bank FDs, SCSS, RBI Bonds, POMIS). Anything guaranteeing materially more is either fraud or a Ponzi.
Verify the entity at sachet.rbi.org.in. If it isn't listed as a regulated financial entity, walk away — no exceptions.
Receiving money on UPI never needs a QR scan, PIN entry, or approval. Scanning a QR + entering a PIN debits your account — always.
If they insist money is owed, ask them to send it via IMPS to your bank details. Real refunds don't require anything from you.
Fraudsters port your number to their SIM, then intercept every OTP and reset every account you have.
Call your telecom operator immediately from another phone. Disable UPI and net banking. Report at 1930 the same hour.
Written on a card and taped to the fridge, these prevent almost every fraud in the list above.
Banks never ask for OTP, PIN, or CVV — for any reason.
Any call that demands an immediate transfer is a scam.
Jeevan Pramaan is free and self-service. Nobody needs your OTP for it.
"Guaranteed high returns" is the signature of a Ponzi, not an investment.
Government departments do not phone to fix problems. They send written notices.
Never scan a QR or approve a UPI request to receive money — it only sends.
These are the official channels. When in doubt, use these — and only call bank numbers printed on your own passbook or debit card.
Run by I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre). Call within the first hour — that's when banks can still freeze the fraudulent transfer.
File a written complaint with screenshots, SMS, transaction IDs, and fraudster's number. Track status with your acknowledgment ID.
Report unauthorised entities collecting deposits or offering "guaranteed returns". Verify whether a scheme is regulated before investing.
The only official SBI pensioner portal. Bookmark it and always type or open from the bookmark — never from a search result or link.
Call the number physically printed on your passbook or the reverse of your debit card. This is the one number that can't be spoofed.
Escalate if your bank hasn't resolved a fraud complaint in 30 days. Free, online, and legally binding on the bank.
The single biggest predictor of recovering the money is speed. Every minute the fraudster keeps the funds in the beneficiary account before withdrawal is a minute the bank can freeze it. Follow this order, from the start.
Give them: the fraudster's phone number, the transaction reference or UTR, and the amount. Note the complaint reference number they give you — you'll need it everywhere.
Number printed on your passbook or the back of your debit card. Ask them to block the card, freeze debits, and confirm they've flagged the transaction under the 1930 complaint reference.
Attach every screenshot, SMS, call log, and the transaction details. Upload evidence before deleting anything. Save the acknowledgment PDF.
Change your net-banking password. Disable UPI temporarily via your bank app. Change email password if it was shared. Tell one family member so they don't get called next.
Carry the 1930 complaint number, the cybercrime.gov.in acknowledgment, and printouts of your evidence. Get a certified copy of the FIR — the bank will ask for it during reversal review.
If the bank hasn't reversed the transaction, escalate in writing to the branch manager and the bank's Nodal Officer. If nothing moves in 30 days, file with the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in — it's free and the bank is legally required to respond.
Ten minutes a month. Prevents the majority of fraud attempts before they get anywhere.
Verify pension credit only through official bank SMS (short-code sender ID), never through a call that claims to confirm it.
Bookmark pensionseva.sbi and only open it from the bookmark. Never through a Google search — fraud sites buy ads on those keywords.
Use a separate email for banking that isn't linked to social media, WhatsApp groups, or online shopping.
Turn on transaction SMS and email alerts with your bank. Review the passbook or statement once a month.
Never save PIN, CVV, or passwords in phone notes, WhatsApp chats, or a photo. Fraudsters check these first if they get access.
Register your mobile on DND via the DoT to sharply cut down fraud call volume: SMS "START 0" to 1909 from your mobile.
Keep a printed helpline card near the landline or fridge with 1930 and your bank's fraud number — so a panicked call doesn't have to search for the number.
A one-page fraud-safety card with the six rules, the 1930 playbook, and the verified helplines. Fits on a fridge, sits in a wallet. Made for adult children who worry about their parents' phone at 6pm.