Fake Common Service Centres defraud rural citizens and aspiring VLEs seeking government e-services
Fraudsters operate lookalike Common Service Centres (CSCs) or fake portals mimicking the government e-governance network. Rural citizens are charged for services never delivered; aspiring VLEs pay for fake registrations.
Also known as: fake CSC centre fraud, fake e-governance portal scam, VLE registration scam, common service centre fraud, fake ecscgov portal
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
Call 1930 now- 1 Call 1930 — the national cyber-crime helpline — right now. The sooner you report, the better the chance of freezing the money before it moves.
- 2 Call your bank to freeze the account and block the card immediately. Use the number printed on your card, never a number from the message or caller.
- 3 File a report at cybercrime.gov.in and keep every message, screenshot, and transaction ID.
What to do right now
- 1 Verify any CSC centre is listed at https://csc.gov.in before using its services — look up by state and district
- 2 For VLE registration, apply only through csc.gov.in — never through a third-party site, WhatsApp agent, or paid ad link
- 3 If an operator kept your Aadhaar or PAN card, report immediately to police and lock your Aadhaar at https://uidai.gov.in
- 4 Save payment receipts, the operator's name, and the centre address for your police complaint
- 5 Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).
Red flags
- ⚠ The CSC centre has no official certificate, charges undocumented fees, and does not issue receipts on official CSC letterhead
- ⚠ A fake portal URL such as 'ecscgov.co.in' collects VLE registration fees — the only official site is csc.gov.in
- ⚠ You paid for Aadhaar, PAN, passport, or pension services but received no confirmation in the actual government portal
- ⚠ The operator asked to keep your original Aadhaar or PAN card 'for verification' and has not returned it
- ⚠ An ad or WhatsApp contact offers guaranteed CSC VLE registration for a fee paid to a personal UPI ID