Annual Fee and Bank Charges Refund Scam by SMS

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

On SMS the scammer has only a few lines to work with, so they use a deadline, a threat or a prize and a link that must be tapped "now". 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 SMS

• Several near-identical messages arriving together from different senders.
• A sender name that resembles a bank, courier, tax or utility, or an ordinary mobile number.
• A very short message with a deadline such as "today" or "within 24 hours".

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 text message

• 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 tells you to install an app from a link instead of the official store.
• The link domain is not the one you type yourself for that organisation.

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 the sender on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) and block the number.
5. Delete the message and tell family members who may get the same text.
6. Do not reply, do not tap the link and do not call the number in the message.

You can report suspicious SMS and calls on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) of the Department of Telecommunications.

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, WhatsApp, email.

Questions