Credit Limit Increase Call Scam over the phone

How it looks over the phone, the red flags and what to do.

Callers pretend to be bank staff, police, a courier, a telecom officer or a relative, and they try to keep you on the line while you act. Credit Limit Increase Call Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A caller offers to raise your credit card limit and asks for an OTP or card details. The OTP approves a payment from your card instead.

What credit limit increase call scam looks like over the phone

A second "senior officer" who takes over the call.
An unknown or international number, or a number that looks like a real office.
A calm, official voice that already knows your name or the last digits of your card.

The scammer buys or finds lists of card holders and calls with polite scripts. They may know the name of your bank and the last four digits of the card, which they use to sound genuine. They explain that the offer is only for selected customers, which flatters you, and that it will expire at the end of the day.

Red flags to check on the phone call

An unrequested call offers a free limit increase.
You are asked for card number, expiry and CVV on the phone.
An OTP is requested to activate the offer.
The offer expires today.
The caller wants you to install an app to "fix" something.
The caller asks for an OTP, UPI PIN, card PIN or CVV.

What to do

End the call and do not share card details or any OTP.
Call your bank on the number printed on the back of your card.
Check your bank's official app for any offers on your card.
Never share an OTP or PIN. No genuine staff member needs it.
If you already installed an app on the call, uninstall it and switch on airplane mode, then call your bank at once.
Tell a family member and report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility).

Report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility). If money moved, call 1930 immediately.

If money or a code is already gone

Call your bank on the number on your card and block the card at once.
Call 1930 and give the transaction details and time.
Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in with the call log and statements.
Ask the bank about a dispute for transactions you did not authorise.

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

Safeavio's Money Shield gives you a 'verify before you pay' checklist, and one of its rules is never to give an OTP to a caller. You can paste a follow-up SMS into the scam check to see the reasons it looks risky. Safeavio does not block calls by itself, so end the call and use the number on your card.

Check it before you tap or pay

Safeavio Sentinel is a made-in-India Android app: paste a message or link, or scan a QR code, and get a plain verdict with the reasons. It helps you spot a scam; it does not promise to stop every one.

Download for Android What the app does

Google Play listing: coming soon. Today the signed APK is on safeavio.com/download. Android 7.0 or later.

Full guide: Credit Limit Increase Call Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: SMS, WhatsApp, fake app.

Questions

How do I know if a phone call about credit limit increase call scam is a scam?

Check the red flags above: the caller asks for an otp, upi pin, card pin or cvv. you are told that a case, arrest, block or penalty is coming within minutes. When in doubt, do not act on the phone call; open the official app or website yourself or call the number printed on your card or bill.

What should I do first if I receive this phone call?

Hang up. A real bank or office will not mind that you call them back. Call the bank or office on the number printed on your card, bill or official app, not on a number the caller gave.