Report quickly. File a complaint on India's National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal with transaction details, and ask your Nigerian bank to send a recall request to the Indian receiving bank. An Indian lawyer can follow up with the police and bank to seek freezing of the funds and file an FIR. Offences include cheating under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and identity theft and impersonation under the Information Technology Act.
- Document route
- Nigerian notary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication, then Indian mission attestation
- Time difference
- IST is 4h30 ahead of Nigeria all year (no daylight saving)
- Portal
- cybercrime.gov.in
- Helpline
- 1930, from an Indian phone
Cyber & Investment Fraud from Nigeria: how it works
Speed matters more than anything. We help you file a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, which accepts complaints from abroad, with the transaction reference, receiving bank account, amounts, emails and website or WhatsApp details. Your Nigerian bank should simultaneously request a recall through SWIFT. We then write to the Indian receiving bank's nodal officer and the police station or cyber cell with jurisdiction over the account, asking for the funds to be frozen.
If the funds are frozen, the next step is to obtain their release, which usually needs an application before the magistrate in the jurisdiction. If the fraud involves a company that looked genuine, we check its registration and directors and consider a civil claim alongside the criminal complaint. Offences include cheating under section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (formerly section 420 IPC), and identity theft and impersonation under sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act. Evidence should be preserved, with full email headers rather than screenshots alone.
What clients in Nigeria should know
- Many Nigeria-related frauds involve changed bank details in an email from a genuine supplier's hacked account; always confirm new account details by phone.
- A complaint by a foreign national is accepted by Indian police; you do not need an Indian address to file.
- Recovery is most likely when funds are frozen within days; after the money has moved through several accounts, it is much harder to trace.
Step by step from Nigeria
Video consultation
A call at a time that suits Nigeria, after we have read your documents.
Documents signed in Nigeria
Nigerian notary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication, then Indian mission attestation
Work in India
Our team files, appears and follows up in India, and shares scans of everything filed.
Result and handover
Certified copies and originals are couriered to you in Nigeria where needed.
The full guide
This page covers what changes when you are in Nigeria. For the law, the documents and the step-by-step procedure, read our main page on Cyber & Investment Fraud, or see all services for clients in Nigeria and the Disputes & Enforcement practice area.
Questions from clients in Nigeria
Can I file a cyber fraud complaint in India from Nigeria?
Yes. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal accepts complaints online, and an Indian lawyer can follow up with the police and bank.
Will the Indian police freeze the account?
If reported quickly with clear transaction details, the police or bank can freeze the receiving account, though release of funds needs a court order.
Do I need to come to India for the case?
Usually not for the complaint and freezing. If the case goes to trial, evidence may be needed by video or in person.