Dekhbhaal › Common scams › KYC update

"Update your KYC or your account will be blocked": is it a scam?

Yes, treat it as a scam. A message saying an account, card or SIM will be blocked today unless you update your KYC through a link, or a caller asking for your PIN, password or OTP to "update KYC", is a fraud. Real KYC is done in the branch or in the bank's own app, never through a link in a message.

Last updated 21 October 2026, by the Dekhbhaal team.

What it looks like

"Dear customer, your bank account will be blocked today. Please update your KYC immediately: [link]"

The link opens a page that looks exactly like the bank's. It asks for the login, the card number, then the OTP that arrives. Each one is sent straight to the fraudster. A phone version asks your parent to read out the Aadhaar number and the OTP, or to install an app to "complete the KYC".

The Reserve Bank of India has warned about exactly this: never share login details, card details, a PIN, a password or an OTP with anyone, never install an app because a caller asks, and never click a link in a message about KYC.

How to tell it's a fraud

"Today" or "within 24 hours". Real re-KYC comes with weeks of notice.
A link in an SMS or WhatsApp message.
Any request for an OTP, PIN or password. A real bank never asks for these.
An address that is close to the bank's but not the same.

What to do right now

Don't tap the link. Delete the message.
If KYC really is due, the bank's own app or the branch will say so.
If details were typed into the page, call the bank on its official number at once and block the card and net banking.

If money has already gone

Call 1930 now. It is India's national cyber-fraud helpline. The first hour matters most: the sooner 1930 hears, the better the chance the money can be held before it moves on.
Call the bank on the number printed on the back of the card or in the bank's own app, and ask them to block the card or account.
File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in, with the number that called, the time, and any screenshots.
Report the number on Chakshu, at sancharsaathi.gov.in, so it can be checked and cut off.

And tell your parent it is not their fault. These callers do this all day, and they are good at it. A parent who feels foolish is less likely to tell you next time.

How Dekhbhaal helps

Dekhbhaal is an AI caretaker on your parent's phone, for sons and daughters who live far away. Your parent forwards the message or shares a screenshot. Dekhbhaal says it's a fraud and not to tap the link, and tells you. If it isn't sure, it says so: don't do anything yet, and call the number on the back of the card. How the scam guard works.

Questions

Do banks send KYC update links by SMS?

Don't trust any link in an SMS or WhatsApp message about KYC. If KYC is due, do it in the bank's own app or at the branch. The Reserve Bank of India has warned against KYC updation frauds of exactly this kind.

Will my account really be blocked if I don't update KYC today?

No real bank blocks an account at a day's notice by SMS. If re-KYC is due, the bank gives notice, and the branch or the bank's app will tell you.

My parent typed their details into the link. What now?

Call the bank on the number on the back of the card or in its official app and block the card and net banking. If money has gone, call 1930 at once and file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in.

Other scams to know

Dekhbhaal will never ask for an OTP, money or bank details. Anyone who does is a scammer, even if they say they are Dekhbhaal. In an emergency, call 112.