Post Highlights
You receive a call. The person on the other end says they are from your bank and your KYC needs immediate updating or your account will be blocked. You hang up, suspicious, but unsure what to do next.
This is exactly where the Chakshu portal comes in.
Launched on 4 March 2024 by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Sanchar Saathi initiative, Chakshu is India’s dedicated platform to report suspected fraud communications – calls, SMS messages, or WhatsApp chats that appear designed to cheat or impersonate. It is free, takes about five minutes to use, and your report directly contributes to a national system that has already led to the disconnection of over 50.90 lakh mobile numbers as of July 2026.
This guide walks you through exactly what Chakshu portal does, what you can report, and how to file a complaint step by step.
What Kinds of Fraud Can You Report on Chakshu?
Chakshu covers a specific type of problem: suspected fraud communications, meaning messages or calls you received that felt like an attempt to scam or impersonate someone.
According to the official Sanchar Saathi portal, you can report:
- Bank and financial fraud – fake calls about your account, OTP requests, UPI fraud attempts, credit card scams
- KYC update scams – messages claiming your SIM, gas connection, electricity connection, or bank KYC has expired
- Government impersonation – callers pretending to be from DoT, TRAI, Income Tax, police, CBI, or other agencies
- Sextortion – threatening calls or messages involving personal or intimate content
- Fake job offers – suspicious messages promising jobs or income for small upfront payments
- SIM deactivation threats – messages claiming your mobile number will be disconnected unless you call back
- Investment fraud – messages promoting fake schemes, lottery wins, or stock tips
- International call spoofing – incoming calls that appear to come from an Indian number (+91) but are actually routed from abroad
If a call or message made you feel pressured, threatened, or asked for your personal or financial details, it belongs on Chakshu.
The 30-Day Rule – What It Means
Chakshu accepts complaints for communications received within the last 30 days.
This does not mean older reports are useless. The official portal notes that reports made after 30 days still help DoT identify spammers proactively through pattern analysis but active investigation and number disconnection is prioritised for fresh reports.
Note: Do not wait. If you receive a suspicious call today, report it today or within the week. The sooner you report, the higher the chance of action being taken before the fraudster contacts more people.
Chakshu vs Cyber Crime Portal vs TAFCOP – Which One Should You Use?
This is where most people get confused. Here is a clear breakdown:
| Situation | Use This |
|---|---|
| Received a suspicious call or message (no money lost yet) | Chakshu – sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/ |
| Already lost money to a scam or financial fraud | Cyber Crime Portal – cybercrime.gov.in or helpline 1930 |
| Found an unknown SIM registered in your name on Aadhaar | TAFCOP – sancharsaathi.gov.in/sms-login.jsp |
| Phone lost or stolen and want to block it | CEIR – sancharsaathi.gov.in/sms-ceir.jsp |
The official Chakshu portal itself states this clearly: “If you have already lost money due to financial fraud or are a victim of cyber-crime, please report at cyber crime helpline number 1930 or website cybercrime.gov.in. Chakshu facility does not handle financial fraud or cyber-crime cases.”
Think of it this way, Chakshu is for prevention and reporting suspected fraud. Cyber Crime portal is for cases where damage has already happened. They work together, not as substitutes.
For checking unknown SIMs on your Aadhaar, read our detailed guide: TAFCOP Portal – Check How Many SIM Cards Are Active on Your Name
How to Report a Fraud Call on Chakshu (Step by Step)
Before you begin, keep the following ready:
- The phone number or sender ID that contacted you
- Date and approximate time of the call or message
- A screenshot or note of what was said or written
Step 1: Open the Chakshu Portal
Visit the official page: https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/
Click on “Report Suspected Fraud Communication”. You can also go directly to the complaint form at: https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/Home/sfc-complaint.jsp
Step 2: Select the Type of Communication
Choose the medium through which you received the suspected fraud:
- Voice Call
- SMS
Step 3: Enter the Fraud Communication Details
Fill in:
- The fraudster’s number or sender ID
- Date and time of the communication
- Category of fraud (bank scam, KYC fraud, impersonation, sextortion, etc.)
- A brief description of what happened
You can also upload a screenshot of the SMS or WhatsApp message if you have one. This strengthens your report significantly.
Step 4: Enter Your Personal Details
Provide your own mobile number, the one that received the fraud communication. Your personal information is used only for verification and investigation, as assured by DoT.
Step 5: Verify via OTP
An OTP is sent to your registered mobile number. Enter it to confirm your submission.
Step 6: Submit
Click Submit. A confirmation message appears on screen once your complaint is successfully filed.
The entire process takes about 3 to 5 minutes.
You can also report fraud communications through the Sanchar Saathi app, available on Android and iOS. The app has a practical advantage, it can read your call and SMS logs directly (with your permission), so the fraudster’s number and date details are auto-filled. Read our full guide: Sanchar Saathi App: Download & Complete Guide
What Happens After You Report?
This is the part most people do not know about and it is genuinely impactful.
Your report does not trigger immediate action on a single number in isolation. The DoT uses crowd sourced data, meaning it looks at patterns across thousands of reports. When a number appears repeatedly in fraud reports, or when a cluster of numbers shows the same behaviour, the system flags them for disconnection.
Here is what the numbers look like as of July 2026, based on official Ministry of Communications data stated in Parliament:
- 11.18 lakh suspected fraud communication reports submitted by citizens through Chakshu
- 50.90 lakh mobile connections disconnected as a direct result of these crowd-sourced reports
- In addition, DoT’s AI tool called ASTR (Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification) identified and disconnected a further 88 lakh suspicious connections
Reports submitted in 2024 numbered over 2.08 lakh. By 2025, this rose to over 5 lakh, reflecting fast-growing public awareness of the platform.
The DoT also shares Chakshu data with the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), which connects agencies like the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), SEBI, and law enforcement, so your report may feed into investigations far beyond just blocking a phone number.
One thing to set expectations on: you will not receive a case by case update on your individual complaint. The system is designed for aggregate intelligence, not individual case management. If you need a personal case reference for a financial loss, you must go to cybercrime.gov.in.
What Chakshu Cannot Do
Being clear about limitations avoids frustration:
- It cannot recover money you have lost. That is handled by cybercrime.gov.in and the 1930 helpline.
- It does not issue a case number or personal follow-up. It is a crowd sourced intelligence tool, not a grievance redressal system.
- It cannot block a number instantly on your phone. It flags numbers for operator action at a network level, which takes time.
- It does not handle complaints older than 30 days for active investigation (though you can still report for pattern analysis).
- It is not for spam from registered businesses. For DND violations and unsolicited commercial calls from registered telemarketers, use the 1909 DND helpline or the Sanchar Saathi UCC reporting option.
Helpline and Contact Details
| Resource | Details |
|---|---|
| Chakshu Portal | https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/ |
| Direct Complaint Form | https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/Home/sfc-complaint.jsp |
| Cyber Crime (money lost) | cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 |
| Sanchar Saathi Help Email | [email protected] |
| DND / Spam SMS | Call 1909 |
Conclusion
The Chakshu portal asks for five minutes of your time in exchange for something genuinely useful: removing a fraud number from India’s telecom network before it reaches someone else.
If you received a suspicious call today, do not just ignore it. Visit sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/, report it, and you have done your part.
And if you are not sure which portal you need Chakshu, TAFCOP, CEIR, or Cyber Crime the table in this article above has the answer.
FAQs:
You can report fake bank calls, KYC scam messages, government impersonation calls, sextortion threats, fake job offer messages, SIM deactivation threats, and suspicious international calls.
Chakshu is for reporting suspected fraud communications you received but have not yet lost money to. The Cyber Crime portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or helpline 1930 is for cases where you have already lost money or been a victim of financial fraud. Chakshu does not handle financial crime cases directly.
No separate registration is needed.
No. Chakshu is a crowd-sourced intelligence tool and does not provide personal case tracking
Yes. The Sanchar Saathi app on Android and iOS includes the Chakshu reporting feature.
You can still file a report. While active disconnection investigation is prioritised for the last 30 days, older reports contribute to DoT’s broader fraud pattern analysis, which helps identify repeat offenders and scam networks.