Government body
Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)
I4C is the Ministry of Home Affairs unit that coordinates India's response to cybercrime. It runs the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in and the 1930 helpline, which together are where Indians report financial fraud, fake profiles, sextortion and image-based abuse. It also issues public advisories on scams such as digital arrest and matrimonial fraud.
Updated November 6, 2026 · 2 min read · reviewed November 6, 2026
What is I4C?
The Ministry of Home Affairs approved the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre in 2018 and inaugurated it in January 2020 as the nodal point for cybercrime in India. Policing is a state subject in India, so I4C does not investigate most cases itself; it routes reports to state police, maintains shared tools, and publishes advisories. Its verticals include a threat analytics unit, a forensic laboratory, a training centre and joint cybercrime coordination teams for the regions where organised fraud concentrates.
How do you report to it?
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Call 1930 for financial fraud
The helpline connects to the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System, which can freeze transfers if called quickly, ideally within the first hour.
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File at cybercrime.gov.in
The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal takes complaints about fraud, fake profiles, hacking and, under a separate track, content involving women and children, which can be filed anonymously.
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Keep the acknowledgement
The portal issues a reference number; the complaint is forwarded to the state police, who register an FIR where an offence is made out.
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Report to the platform too
The portal does not remove content from Instagram, WhatsApp or matrimonial sites; those reports go to the platform's own form, listed in the report impersonation directory.
What has it done about face-related crime?
- Advisories on digital arrest scams, in which callers impersonate officials on video, sometimes with deepfaked faces, and keep victims on the line while money is transferred.
- Advisories on matrimonial and romance fraud, including profiles built with stolen or AI-generated photos.
- Coordination of action against sextortion rings operating from specific districts, and a dedicated reporting track for intimate images of women and children.
- Public campaigns under the Cyber Dost handle on social media.
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2018-10
I4C scheme approved
Ministry of Home Affairs approves the centre.
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2019-08-30
National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal launched
cybercrime.gov.in opens to the public.
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2020-01-10
I4C inaugurated
Formal launch in New Delhi.
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2021-04
Financial fraud helpline
155260, later replaced by the short code 1930.
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2024
Digital arrest advisories
Public warnings as the scam spreads; the Prime Minister addresses it in a national broadcast in October 2024.
Questions
Is 1930 only for money fraud?
It is built for financial fraud and connects to the system that can freeze transfers. Other cybercrime, including fake profiles and image abuse, is reported on cybercrime.gov.in.
Will I4C investigate my complaint?
Usually not directly. The portal forwards complaints to the state police with jurisdiction, who decide whether to register an FIR. I4C coordinates and provides tools.
Can I report a fake matrimonial profile using my photos?
Yes, on cybercrime.gov.in, with screenshots and URLs. Report to the matrimonial site as well, and if money was demanded, call 1930.
Sources
- 1.I4C, Ministry of Home Affairs (checked November 6, 2026)
- 2.National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (checked November 6, 2026)
- 3.Wikipedia: Digital arrest scam (background and advisories) (checked November 6, 2026)
Entry reviewed November 6, 2026. Found an error? Tell us.
Related entries
- Law India: Information Technology Act 2000 and the IT Rules 2021 India's IT Act 2000 and IT Rules 2021: Section 66E privacy offences, 24-hour removal of intimate and impersonating images, safe harbour, and the 2026 deepfake rules.
- Law India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 India's DPDP Act 2023 and Rules 2025: phased commencement to May 2027, consent and notice duties, the Data Protection Board, penalties up to 250 crore rupees.
- Directory Where to report a fake or impersonating account Official impersonation report routes for 13 platforms, from Instagram and Facebook to Tinder and Telegram, with who can file and what each asks for.
- Directory Helplines for image abuse, scams and online harm, by country Helplines and reporting portals for image abuse, sextortion, romance fraud, stalking and crisis in the US, UK, India, Canada, Australia and Europe.
- Organisation Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) India's digital rights group: Project Panoptic's tracker of facial recognition deployments, its legal work on privacy and the DPDP Act, and how to use it.
- Term Sextortion Sextortion defined: blackmail with intimate images, who is targeted, the first steps that stop it, the laws and removal routes, and the limits of a face search.
Cite this entry
FaceSearch Wiki editors. "Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)". FaceSearch Wiki, updated November 6, 2026. https://facesearch.wiki/organisations/i4c-india/