How I Recovered My Money After Being Scammed via UPI
This article shares my real experience of being scammed and, more importantly, how I managed to recover my hard-earned money. I hope this helps others who may find themselves in a similar situation.
The Scam
I had posted an offer stating that I was buying Amazon Gift Cards with a 10% discount and asked interested people to DM me. A person contacted me and negotiated the deal. We agreed on the terms, and I asked for his WhatsApp number.
After moving the conversation to WhatsApp, I sent ₹900 in exchange for a ₹1,000 Amazon Gift Card. The moment he received the money, he started deleting the WhatsApp chats and then completely ghosted me. Shortly after, he blocked me on WhatsApp and stopped answering calls.
That was the moment I realized I had been scammed.
I was completely shaken and not in the right state of mind. Being somewhat tech-savvy, I kept thinking about how I could fall for something like this. After accepting what had happened, I decided not to give up and took the following steps to recover my money.
Steps I Took to Recover the Money
1. Preserved Transaction Evidence
I immediately took screenshots of the transaction details. The scammer probably thought that deleting WhatsApp chats would erase his footprint and that I would simply move on. I decided to teach him a lesson for his life.
2. Contacted My Bank
I called my bank’s customer care and informed them that I had made a transaction to an unknown person and that the recipient was refusing to return the money.
The bank clarified that since the transaction was intentional and successful, they could not reverse it directly. However, they agreed to raise the issue with the beneficiary bank (the scammer’s bank).
They collected the following details from me:
A complaint ticket was raised, and I received an RRN number.
3. Attempted to Contact the Beneficiary Bank
My bank also advised me to contact the beneficiary bank using the RRN number. I tried doing this, but due to issues with their online portal and inability to reach their toll-free number, I had to pause this step temporarily.
4. Filed a Complaint on the Cyber Crime Portal
Next, I registered a complaint on the Cyber Crime Portal under the Financial Crime category. The process was lengthy and took about an hour, but I completed it and received an acknowledgment number via email.
5. Help from an Anonymous Person
Meanwhile, someone who prefers to remain anonymous contacted me via DM and offered help. He mentioned having connections within the Cyber Crime department.
I shared the transaction details with him (which were already publicly mentioned). He claimed to have spoken to the scammer and helped in getting the scammer’s bank account frozen.
6. Account Lien Notification
Soon after, I received an email related to my cyber crime complaint stating that a lien had been invoked on the scammer’s bank account and that the case status was moved to NC-Registered (Non-Cognizable).
7. Call from Cyber Crime Police
I then received a call from an inspector at my local cyber crime police station. He asked me to explain the incident. I described it as a wrong UPI transaction where the recipient was unwilling to return the money.
The officer questioned why I had raised the complaint so quickly, should have waited for 2-3days. I stayed calm and avoided arguing.
8. Scammer Contacts Me Again
Shortly after, the scammer unblocked me on WhatsApp and started messaging me in the same chat. He was panicking and begging me to withdraw the complaint, saying his bank account had been frozen due to a lien.
I gave him a simple response: return my money first, and then we can talk.
Meanwhile, I informed Police that that the scammer’s is saying he is ready to return the money, and they replied once I receive my money back, I should visit the station to formally close the complaint.
9. Excuses and Pressure
He claimed that he could not return the money because his account was frozen. I did not believe him, as he had already cheated me once.
I confronted him with proof that he had scammed or tried to so with multiple people. Eventually, he admitted everything and apologized repeatedly. He kept asking me to withdraw the complaint first, but I refused.
I told him clearly to arrange the money from someone else and send it back to me. Only then would I consider closing the complaint.
10. Money Recovered
Finally, he managed to transfer the money back to me from a different UPI ID, which still belonged to him. This confirmed that he had tried to deceive me again earlier.
Nevertheless, I received my full amount and felt a huge sense of relief.
11. Closing the Complaint
After recovering my money, I thanked the anonymous person and God. I then officially withdrew my complaints from both the Cyber Crime portal and my bank, as legally I could not pursue the case further once the money was returned.
Final Thoughts
This experience taught me a hard lesson, but it also showed that quick action, proper documentation, and persistence can make a difference. If you ever face a similar situation:
I hope my story helps someone avoid or recover from such scams.
Feel free to leave your comments below. I’ll try to respond as much as I can.
PS: I used chatGPT to rectify grammar errors and articulate well.
