Lost Money in an Online Scam? New Government Rule Speeds Up Refunds of Up to Rs 50,000

Pune, 15th June 2026: Victims of cyber fraud can now recover up to ₹50,000 from frozen bank accounts linked to online scams without obtaining a court order, following the introduction of a new standard operating procedure (SOP) by the central government.

Under the revised mechanism, investigating officers can initiate the refund process directly through banks after completing the necessary verification and submitting a report on the national cybercrime portal. The move is aimed at speeding up compensation for victims of online financial fraud.

However, victims seeking to recover amounts exceeding ₹50,000 will still be required to obtain a court order, in line with the existing procedure.
The new system comes amid a sharp rise in cybercrimes, including fraudulent online share trading schemes, “digital arrest” scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and crimes involving remote access software.

Senior Inspector Swapnali Shinde of the Pune Cyber Police Station said several victims in the city have already received refunds under the new framework.

“Under the central government’s revised SOPs, cyber fraud victims can now recover amounts of up to ₹50,000 without court approval. Multiple complainants in Pune have already benefited from this facility,” Shinde said.

According to Shinde, the central government formulated the SOPs around four months ago and recently delegated refund approval powers to inspectors handling cybercrime investigations.

Cybercriminals often route stolen funds through multiple mule accounts to conceal the money trail. Investigators use digital tracking tools to identify these accounts and coordinate with banks to freeze them.

Previously, victims had to approach courts to obtain orders for the release of funds from frozen accounts, a process that frequently took several months.

“Now, investigators can recover amounts of up to ₹50,000 from multiple frozen accounts and facilitate refunds much faster by communicating directly with the concerned banks,” Shinde said.

As part of the process, the investigating officer uploads a detailed report to the cybercrime portal. The report is then forwarded to the respective bank, which releases the frozen amount — up to the prescribed limit — directly into the victim’s account.

Police have urged citizens to report cyber fraud immediately through the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or the cybercrime reporting portal to improve the chances of freezing stolen funds and securing timely recovery.