Methodology

Our Methodology

Scam Rescue India is an independent digital safety guidance initiative focused on helping people in India respond more clearly during online fraud, blackmail, account compromise, impersonation, and related digital safety situations.

This page explains how we prepare our guidance, rescue flows, and scam alerts, so users can understand what our information is based on, what it is not based on, and where our limits are.

  • Independent guidance
  • No OTP or passwords
  • Source-aware alerts
  • Safety-first steps
What our guidance is based on

Public sources and safety-first principles.

Our guidance is prepared from publicly available information, practical safety principles, and common scam-response situations affecting people in India.

Official reporting routes

Public official reporting routes that users in India can access.

Public advisories

Public advisories and credible publicly available information.

Common scam patterns

Common scam patterns seen in digital fraud, impersonation, blackmail, payment fraud, and account compromise cases.

Safety-first response

Safety-first response principles that reduce immediate risk.

Stress-aware situations

Real-world situations where a person may be panicked, rushed, threatened, confused, or unsure what to do next.

Why official routes are mentioned

Where relevant, we point users toward official routes such as 1930, cybercrime.gov.in, banks, wallet providers, police stations, or platform support channels.

Pointing users toward these routes does not mean Scam Rescue India is affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any government department, police authority, bank, wallet company, platform, or cyber cell. These are included because they may be the appropriate places for users to report, block, dispute, or escalate a situation.

How rescue flows are prepared

Rescue flows for stressful moments.

Our rescue flows are step-by-step guides designed for stressful moments. They are not meant to replace official reporting, bank instructions, police advice, platform support, or professional legal advice.

01

Identify the situation

Help users identify the scam situation in plain language.

02

Separate urgent actions

Separate urgent safety actions from later documentation steps.

03

Keep private access private

Avoid asking for OTPs, passwords, screen sharing, remote access, or evidence uploads.

04

Official reporting routes are shown clearly

Relevant official reporting options are presented in a simple, visible way.

05

Clear language during stressful moments

Guidance is written to reduce confusion when a person is rushed, threatened, or unsure what to do next.

06

Latest official instructions come first

Users are reminded to follow the latest instructions from their bank, wallet provider, platform, police, or the official reporting portal.

What users can expect

The aim is to help users understand their next steps and move toward the right official channels. Scam Rescue India does not act on the user's behalf.

How scam alerts are prepared

Scam alerts that inform, not alarm.

Scam alerts are prepared to help users recognize active or commonly repeated scam patterns. We keep alert language cautious, source-aware, and limited to what can be reasonably supported.

  • Publicly available information

    Alerts are based on public-source information rather than private access or unofficial claims.

  • Source and date context

    Where useful, alerts include the source and publish date so users can understand the context.

  • Unsupported claims are left out

    Alert wording stays within what the available public information can reasonably support.

  • No recovery promises

    Alerts do not create expectations about legal action, payment outcomes, account restoration, takedowns, or recovery.

  • Clear, non-alarming language

    The goal is to help users recognize risk without making the situation feel more confusing or frightening.

  • Checked for clarity

    Alerts are checked for clarity, caution, and alignment with the information available at the time.

When we are not certain

If a claim cannot be supported by credible public information, we leave it out or write it more cautiously.

What we can and cannot help with

What this guidance can and cannot do.

Scam Rescue India is an educational and guidance initiative. To set clear expectations, Scam Rescue India does not:

  • Collect OTPs or passwords.
  • Ask users to share their screen.
  • Ask for remote access to a phone, computer, bank account, wallet, or social media account.
  • Guarantee refund, fund freeze, arrest, account restoration, takedown, or recovery.
  • Act as police, bank, cyber cell, court, lawyer, wallet provider, platform, or recovery agent.
  • Replace official reporting, professional legal advice, bank instructions, police process, or platform support.
  • Claim any government, police, bank, legal, or cyber-cell affiliation.
Be cautious of anyone who promises guaranteed recovery, asks for OTPs, requests screen sharing, or claims they can directly recover money for a fee.
When information changes

Guidance changes when instructions change.

Scam methods, official reporting routes, platform rules, and banking processes can change over time. We may revise guidance when we find information that is outdated, unclear, incomplete, or no longer aligned with current public instructions.

If your bank, wallet provider, platform, police station, or official reporting portal gives newer instructions, follow those instructions for your situation.

Follow the latest official or provider instructions. Older guidance can become less useful when reporting routes, banking processes, or platform rules change. Current instructions for your specific case should come first.