FSSAI and Trade Licence Agent 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. FSSAI and Trade Licence Agent Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A caller says your shop needs an FSSAI or trade licence now or faces a fine, and takes a high fee. See how small shops are pressed and what to check.

What fssai and trade licence agent scam looks like over the phone

• Instructions to install a screen-sharing app or to press keys on 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.

The scammers take business names and addresses from public listings and call small shops with the correct trade name. They say they represent a food safety or municipal department and that an inspection is planned this week. Some pose as consultants who 'handle all paper work' and promise a licence in two days with 'special contacts'.

Red flags to check on the phone call

• A call that threatens a fine or sealing the next day.
• A fee that is several times the official charge, paid to a personal account.
• A form or link that is not on the official government portal.
• A certificate promised within hours by WhatsApp.
• You are asked to move money to a "safe account".
• You are told to keep the call secret.

What to do

1. Do not pay. Check your licence status on the official portal or at the local office.
2. Apply or renew only through the official government portal typed by hand.
3. Ask for an inspector's ID and a written notice before any action.
4. Tell a family member and report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility).
5. Hang up. A real bank or office will not mind that you call them back.
6. Call the bank or office on the number printed on your card, bill or official app, not on a number the caller gave.

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

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in with the payment and chat details.
2. Tell your bank on the number printed on your card about the transfer.
3. Check the licence number on the official portal to see if it is genuine.
4. File a written complaint at the police station and inform the local office.

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

Safeavio's link check can look at a registration link before you open it and warn about lookalike domains and risky patterns, and the scam check marks the inspection threat and fee pressure in a message you paste. It cannot confirm whether a licence is valid, which is shown only on the official portal or at the local office. A local trade body can help too.

Full guide: FSSAI and Trade Licence Agent Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, email, SMS.

Questions