Annual Fee and Bank Charges Refund Scam by email

How it looks by email, the red flags and what to do.

Email scams copy the logos, colours and wording of real companies, and the sender address often differs from the real one by one letter. Annual Fee and Bank Charges Refund Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A caller says the bank charged you extra fees and will refund them if you share an OTP or open a link. The refund request is a payment out.

What annual fee and bank charges refund scam looks like by email

• A button that says "Verify account" or "View invoice".
• An attachment such as a PDF, ZIP or HTML file you did not expect.
• A generic greeting instead of your name.

The scammer picks a believable small amount, such as Rs 2,359 for an annual fee or GST, and says that it was charged wrongly. They know that people feel annoyed about bank charges, so a refund seems a pleasant surprise. They use the name of your bank and say that it is part of a service campaign or an RBI directive.

Red flags to check on the email

• A caller offers a refund of fees you did not know about.
• You are asked to approve a request or read out a code to receive it.
• The refund must be done today or will be lost.
• A link or support app is used for the refund.
• It carries a surprise invoice, refund or legal notice.
• The sender address has an extra word or letter.

What to do

1. End the call and do not approve any request.
2. Check your statement in the bank's official app for the fee.
3. Contact the bank on the number on your card if the fee looks wrong.
4. Report it as phishing in your email app and delete it.
5. If you typed a password on the page, change it at once and turn on two-step verification.
6. Do not open the attachment and do not press the button.

Use Report phishing in your email app. If money or accounts are affected, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 immediately and give the transaction details.
2. Tell your bank on the number on your card or passbook and ask them to block further payments.
3. Uninstall any support app and change banking passwords.
4. Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in with the call log and screenshots.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio's Money Shield includes the reminder that you never need a PIN or OTP to receive money, which is the heart of this scam. The scam check can review follow-up messages and links that you paste and show why they look risky. It cannot see your bank's fees, so check your statement in the official app. Check your statement. Use your bank app.

Full guide: Annual Fee and Bank Charges Refund Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: phone call, SMS, WhatsApp.

Questions