Caller offers pre-approved NBFC loan but demands escalating fees before disbursement
A caller claims you have a pre-approved loan from a registered NBFC. They demand a processing fee, insurance premium, and RBI registration charge before disbursement — each paid, each followed by a new fee. The loan never arrives.
Also known as: fake NBFC loan scam, pre-approved loan fraud India, loan disbursement fee scam, fake RBI loan offer call, advance fee loan fraud
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 lender at RBI's authorised NBFC directory on rbi.org.in — search the exact company name before paying anything
- 2 Legitimate lenders never ask for fees before disbursing the loan — any pre-disbursal charge is a scam signal
- 3 Never transfer money to an individual's UPI ID or personal bank account as a loan processing payment
- 4 If you have already paid, immediately call your bank to flag the transaction and attempt to freeze or recall the funds
- 5 Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).
Red flags
- ⚠ You never applied with this lender but the caller says your loan is already 'pre-approved'
- ⚠ You are asked to transfer a processing fee, insurance premium, or RBI compliance charge before receiving any funds
- ⚠ Each payment is followed by a demand for yet another fee — GST, CIBIL clearance deposit, security amount
- ⚠ The NBFC name sounds similar to a real registered lender but contact details do not match the RBI public registry
- ⚠ You are pressured to pay immediately with urgency framing — 'offer expires tonight', 'your credit score will drop if you decline'