Scam guide
Never Share an OTP or Verification Code, Even With a Friend
By the Bakkar team ·
A one-time code is a key. Whoever has it can log in as you: to WhatsApp, to your email, to a UPI app. No genuine person, company or bank ever needs you to forward one.
The usual stories
- "I sent my code to your number by mistake, please send it back."
- "I'm adding you to a contest/group, just tell me the code you got."
- "Bank/KYC/delivery here: read out the OTP to confirm."
Example messages, written by us from reported patterns. Each one has been checked against the rule Bakkar applies to a first message.
oops I entered your number by mistake, can you tell me the 6 digit code you just got?
Bakkar would deliver this
What Bakkar does, and what it can't
Bakkar doesn't use your phone number at all: you sign in with Google, and we never send you an OTP (see how sign-in works). So nobody on Bakkar has a reason to ask for a code, and any message asking for one is a scam. The check that holds back numbers in a first message can't recognise a request for a code written in words, like the example.
Shared one already?
- For WhatsApp: open WhatsApp and register your number again to log the other person out, then turn on two-step verification.
- For a bank or UPI app: call your bank's official number from its website or the back of your card, and block the account or card.
- For email: change the password and sign out of all other devices.
What to do
- Stop replying. You don't owe a scammer an explanation.
- Don't pay. Paying once never ends it; it tells them you will pay again.
- Save the evidence before you block: screenshots of the profile, the chat, any numbers, UPI IDs or links they sent.
- Report and block them on Bakkar from the chat or their profile. See what happens when you report.
- Lost money? Call 1930 at once. The national cybercrime helpline can ask banks to freeze the money while it is still moving, so the first hours matter. Then file the complaint at cybercrime.gov.in.
- Got the call or message on your phone? Report the number on Chakshu (Sanchar Saathi) within 30 days.
- Tell someone you trust. Scams work best on people who feel alone with them. If it's weighing on you, Tele MANAS on 14416 is free and open 24x7.
