Payments scam guide

Bank account mule alert

Money mule accounts are used to move funds from victims through bank transfers, UPI, wallets, or cash withdrawals. Reporting mule details with transaction references can help banks and authorities trace the chain.

Risk signal

Mule account

Severity

critical

Group

Payments

Common identifiers

Add identifiers that can be matched safely across reports, profiles, payments, and evidence without exposing unnecessary private data.

01

Bank account

Use the exact bank account shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

02

IFSC

Use the exact ifsc shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

03

UPI ID

Use the exact upi id shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

04

Beneficiary name

Use the exact beneficiary name shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

Evidence to preserve

Keep proof in original form where possible. Screenshots help, but transaction IDs, URLs, timestamps, and chat context make moderation stronger.

01

Bank statement

Capture bank statement with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

02

UTR

Capture utr with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

03

Beneficiary details

Capture beneficiary details with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

04

Payment app receipt

Capture payment app receipt with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

First response

These steps reduce further loss and keep your report useful for review, banking escalation, platform reporting, and official complaints.

01

Report to bank fraud desk

Do this early: report to bank fraud desk helps reduce repeat contact, preserve proof, and keep escalation options open.

02

File cybercrime complaint

Do this early: file cybercrime complaint helps reduce repeat contact, preserve proof, and keep escalation options open.

03

Share exact transfer references

Do this early: share exact transfer references helps reduce repeat contact, preserve proof, and keep escalation options open.

Urgent money loss

If money was recently transferred, call 1930 first and raise a bank or payment-app dispute. Speed matters for fund-freeze attempts.

Privacy boundary

Do not upload OTPs, passwords, full card numbers, full Aadhaar, private documents, or unrelated intimate media. Use masked, relevant evidence whenever possible.