The scams people report most, and how to avoid each one
1. Fake bank, eSewa and Khalti calls, SMS and "KYC update" links asking for your OTP
The Cyber Bureau puts this first among the frauds that are rising: someone poses as staff of a bank or a digital wallet such as eSewa or Khalti and gets into the victim's account. In April 2025 the bureau described SMS messages sent from official-looking short codes such as "The Alert" or "AT Alert" saying that suspicious activity had been found and the wallet would be suspended unless the user verified it through a link; once the OTP is entered, the wallet is emptied. Other messages push "loan management" or trading apps that come as .apk or .exe files and give the fraudster remote control of the phone or computer. In July 2026 Nepal Rastra Bank issued a public notice listing the same tricks: fake links, unexpected calls and messages that create panic, and requests to install screen-sharing or remote-access apps. On 16 October 2026 the bank's Financial Intelligence Unit warned that fraud rises during Dashain and Tihar, including fake bank and wallet websites that threaten to close your account unless you "update KYC". Money moves fast: the Cyber Bureau's spokesperson said in October 2026 that funds can pass through four bank accounts within a minute and that only about 10 per cent of the money lost to scams is recovered.[1][6][4][3][8][2][7]
Reported in: Nationwide, by phone, SMS, WhatsApp and look-alike websites; money is usually moved on through accounts opened or rented in other people's names
How it works
A caller or message says he is from your bank, eSewa, Khalti or a wallet company. Your account is blocked, your KYC must be updated, a refund is waiting or suspicious activity was found. You are asked to open a link, read out the code sent to your phone, share your screen or install an app. With that access the fraudster transfers your money to other accounts within minutes.
Red flags
- Anyone asking for an OTP, PIN, password or the code just sent to your phone
- A threat that your account or wallet will be closed unless you act now
- A link to "verify" or "update KYC", even from a sender that looks official
- A request to install an app sent as a file (.apk or .exe) or to share your screen
How to protect yourself
- Never share an OTP, PIN or password; a police officer in Kathmandu said in 2026 that real financial institutions do not ask for codes by phone
- Hang up and call your bank or wallet on the number in its official app or on its official website
- Install apps only from the official app store and refuse screen-sharing requests from callers
- Never rent out or lend your bank or wallet account; the Cyber Bureau warns that such "money mule" accounts are used to move stolen money
If it happened to you
- Call your bank's or wallet's customer service at once and ask it to freeze the account or wallet
- Report to the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau or your nearest police office with transaction IDs, numbers and times
- Keep screenshots of the messages, links and call log
- Act within minutes: the money is moved quickly through several accounts
Where to report: Your bank or wallet's customer service first, then the Cyber Bureau or the nearest police office. If your bank does not deal with your complaint, Nepal Rastra Bank's complaint portal.
2. Fake foreign jobs, visas and brokers, including Gulf jobs
For anyone planning to work abroad this is the section to read first. DoFE said in June 2026 that about 44,000 complaints filed since 2000 were still unresolved, most of them against individual brokers rather than licensed agencies, and that the most common complaints were fees above the legal limit, broken contracts, unpaid wages and jobs different from those promised. In May 2026 the labour minister told a parliamentary committee that more than 40,000 foreign employment fraud cases had been registered since 2064 BS (2007/08) and that many workers come with papers showing Rs 10,000 although they paid lakhs. Police arrests in 2026 show the usual pattern: the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office arrested people accused of taking money for jobs in New Zealand, Azerbaijan, Canada (May) and several European countries (June), and Kaski police arrested two people over Facebook offers of hotel jobs in Poland that cost 11 people Rs 1.46 million (February). Visit visas are a common trap: Nepal's ambassador in the UAE said in January 2024 that 250,000 Nepali workers had arrived there on visit visas in 2022, and The Himalayan Times reported workers who had paid brokers Rs 250,000 to 300,000 and were left without a job. Fake offers also lead to trafficking: the government says 836 Nepalis were rescued from online scam centres in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand between late March and early July 2026.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][35][38][39][40][41]
Reported in: Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, local brokers and unlicensed offices, nationwide; victims often travel on visit visas
How it works
A broker or social media page offers a well-paid job abroad, sometimes with a visa copy or offer letter. You pay for the visa, ticket and "processing", often in cash and far above the legal fee, and may be told to fly on a visit visa and change it to a work visa later. On arrival there is no job, a different job or no employer at all, or you are taken to a scam centre and your passport is kept.
Red flags
- The recruiter cannot give a DoFE permission number, or the agency is not active on DoFE's list
- Being told to travel on a visit or tourist visa and "convert" it later
- Cash payments without a receipt, or a receipt for less than you actually paid
- High pay with no interview, especially in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar or Thailand
- Pressure to fly before you have a labour permit
How to protect yourself
- Check the agency's status on DoFE's Foreign Job Search list before paying anything; our guide to working in the Gulf from Nepal explains the legal fees and the labour permit
- Travel for work only with a labour permit, never on a visit visa, as the Nepali embassy in Bangkok urged after the Cambodia rescues in March 2026
- Pay through a bank and keep receipts that show the full amount
- If you arranged a UAE job yourself, the Nepali embassy in Abu Dhabi verifies individual work visas
If it happened to you
- File a complaint online on DoFE's ujuri.dofe.gov.np, from Nepal or abroad, with the adverts, receipts and chats
- Call the Foreign Employment Board on 1141 or Hello Sarkar on 1111
- If you are abroad and stranded, contact the Nepali embassy's labour section or the consular rescue and complaint form
- Report the broker to the police; arrested suspects are sent to DoFE for investigation
Where to report: DoFE's online complaint system ujuri.dofe.gov.np, DoFE on 01-4792671 or info@dofe.gov.np, the Foreign Employment Board on 1141; abroad, the Nepali embassy and the host country's labour ministry.
3. Fake online shops on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
The Cyber Bureau received 2,939 complaints about online shopping fraud in 2024-25 and 808 in 2025-26; the bureau's information officer told The Kathmandu Post in October 2026 that it did not know why complaints fell, that the figures count complaints rather than incidents, and that in most cases the buyer paid in full and never received the goods. Only about 10 per cent of complainants got their money back. The Post described a buyer in Lekhnath, Pokhara, who paid a delivery charge to a TikTok seller that then demanded full payment and disappeared, and a buyer in Lalitpur who lost an advance to an Instagram page with a blue tick and reviews. Nepal Rastra Bank's intelligence unit warned in October 2026 that social media ads offering big discounts on branded goods may take advance payments and send nothing. Under the E-Commerce Act, 2024, businesses that sell online must register with the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection, but only 384 had done so by October 2026.[19][3][2][26]
Reported in: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok pages and live streams, with orders taken on WhatsApp or Messenger, nationwide
How it works
A page shows goods at a price well below the market and asks for payment, or a "delivery charge", in advance to a personal wallet or bank account. The goods never arrive, the seller stops answering and the page or number changes. In another version the "seller" says your payment did not arrive and asks you to share your screen, then uses your OTP to empty your account.
Red flags
- Prices far below the market
- No cash on delivery; full payment in advance only
- Payment to a personal account instead of a company account
- A request to share your screen or an OTP to "check" a payment
How to protect yourself
- Pay on delivery whenever you can, as police advise
- Check the seller's phone number, address and registration with the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection
- Ask for a VAT bill and pay to a company account, not a personal one
- Do not trust a page because of a blue tick, followers or reviews alone
If it happened to you
- Ask your bank or wallet at once to stop or trace the payment
- Report to the Cyber Bureau or your nearest police office with the page link, chats and transaction ID
- Report the page to the platform and warn others
Where to report: Your bank or wallet first; then the Cyber Bureau or the nearest police office.
4. Online "task" jobs, fake investment apps and crypto schemes
Fake online jobs on Telegram, WhatsApp and Instagram are on the Cyber Bureau's list of rising frauds. The Kathmandu Post described a young job seeker who answered a sponsored Facebook ad promising Rs 60,000 a month for liking pages and sharing links, was sent to a Telegram group, paid a Rs 5,000 "membership fee", received Rs 1,000 at first, then lost Rs 25,000 before he was told to recruit five new members and was blocked. In January 2026 the Cyber Bureau arrested 11 people over a mobile app that promised income for watching film trailers, claimed links with big film studios, paid commissions over three levels and promised 1.2 per cent a day; it said more than 70,000 people were targeted and about Rs 120.8 million was lost. Police also list cryptocurrency investment, foreign currency trading and online betting among current fraud methods, and Kaski police describe schemes that double a small first deposit to win trust. Cryptocurrency trading is illegal in Nepal under Nepal Rastra Bank's notices, and Kathmandu police arrested a man over Rs 14.87 million in crypto transactions in July 2026. In July 2025 the Nepal Telecommunications Authority ordered internet providers to block Telegram, citing online fraud and money laundering.[1][20][21][2][26][22][23][24][4]
Reported in: Facebook ads leading to Telegram and WhatsApp groups, mobile apps installed from links, and crypto or trading "platforms"
How it works
You are offered easy money for simple tasks, or a share in an app or trading platform with fixed daily returns. The first small payouts are real. Then you must deposit more to reach a higher level, recruit others or pay a fee to withdraw, and in the end the group, app or site disappears.
Red flags
- Fixed daily or monthly returns, or money that doubles
- A joining fee or deposit before you can earn
- Commissions for bringing in friends and family
- A fee or "tax" to withdraw your balance
- Any offer involving cryptocurrency, which is illegal in Nepal
How to protect yourself
- Treat any job that asks you to pay first as a scam
- Do not install apps sent as links or files
- Check that an investment is offered by a licensed institution; Nepal Rastra Bank says offers guaranteeing high returns with little risk are a red flag
If it happened to you
- Stop paying at once; more deposits never unlock the balance
- Report to the Cyber Bureau or your nearest police office with screenshots of the group, app and every payment
- Tell your bank or wallet which transfers went to the fraudsters
Where to report: The Cyber Bureau or your nearest police office; your bank or wallet for the transfers.
5. Hacked Facebook and WhatsApp accounts and fake profiles asking friends for money
In 2024/25 the Cyber Bureau recorded 3,503 complaints of hacked accounts and 3,067 of fake or impersonated accounts. Facebook and Messenger produce more complaints than any other platform: 7,123 in 2025/26. Kaski police said in August 2026 that gangs hack the Facebook and WhatsApp accounts of close friends or relatives and send messages such as "I am in trouble, send money immediately". Police in Dhading, where cyber crime complaints rose from 20 to 114 in three years, advise strong passwords and two-factor authentication.[25][1][26][29]
Reported in: Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and TikTok, nationwide
How it works
Your account is taken through a fake login link, a code you were tricked into sharing or a weak password, or someone copies your photos into a new profile. Your friends then get an urgent request for money in your name, to be sent to a wallet or account at once.
Red flags
- An urgent request for money by message, with an excuse for not talking on the phone
- A second account in the name of someone already on your list
- A login link or "security check" you did not ask for
How to protect yourself
- Turn on two-step verification and use a strong, separate password
- Before sending money, call the person on a number you already know
- Accept friend requests only from people you know; police advise care with locked or empty profiles
If it happened to you
- Recover the account through the platform's official recovery page and log out other devices
- Warn your contacts from another account or by phone
- If money was sent, the sender should call the bank or wallet at once and report to the police
Where to report: The Cyber Bureau or your nearest police office; the platform's own reporting tools.
6. Fake prizes, gifts, parcels, inheritances and donation QR codes
Fake gifts, lotteries and parcels are second on the Cyber Bureau's list of rising frauds. Police say fraudsters pose as international courier companies and demand customs charges for parcels that do not exist, or say that a relative abroad has died and left money that needs a transfer fee. Before Dashain 2026 Nepal Rastra Bank's intelligence unit warned about links promising "Dashain dhamaka" or "Tihar-Chhath bumper" prizes that ask for a service charge or tax first. In September 2026 the central bank warned that people were collecting money with fake QR codes and bank details in the name of the Prime Minister's disaster relief fund. In Pokhara, police arrested two people in July 2026 over a holiday-voucher scheme that had taken Rs 965,000 from 30 people. Older warnings still apply: in 2020 the Nepal Telecommunications Authority cautioned against one-ring missed calls from foreign numbers, which can cost up to $20 a minute if you call back.[1][2][3][5][31][28][29]
Reported in: SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, phone calls and street "lucky draw" coupons, nationwide
How it works
You are told you have won a prize, have a parcel waiting or are due an inheritance, but must first pay a fee, tax or customs charge, or enter your card or wallet details. Donation appeals use QR codes that send the money to a private account.
Red flags
- A prize from a draw you never entered
- A fee or customs charge to release a parcel or inheritance
- A donation QR code shared on social media or by message
- A missed call from an unknown foreign number
How to protect yourself
- Never pay to receive a prize, parcel or inheritance
- Before donating, check that the account name shown in your banking app matches the official fund, and take account details only from official government or Nepal Rastra Bank pages
- Do not call back unknown foreign numbers or open the links sent after such calls
If it happened to you
- Call your bank or wallet to freeze the payment
- Report to the Cyber Bureau, the nearest police office or Nepal Rastra Bank's financial consumer protection unit
- Keep the message, the QR code image and the receipt
Where to report: Your bank or wallet; the Cyber Bureau or the nearest police office.
7. Romance scams and sextortion
Romance scams are on the Cyber Bureau's list of rising frauds, and the bureau reports more WhatsApp sextortion: fake profiles start video calls, record them and demand money. In 2025 its spokesperson said most sextortion victims are men, including teachers, members of the security forces and administrative staff, and that fraudsters send many friend requests, study the profiles of those who accept, then move the chat to WhatsApp video; in one case the blackmailer demanded Rs 500,000 to 1 million. In August 2026 Kaski police described a woman who lost Rs 3.1 million to a Facebook friend who said he was moving from the UK to marry her, followed by calls from someone posing as a police officer demanding "customs and penalty" fees. In 2020 the Cyber Bureau warned that people calling themselves "Cyber Crime" or "Cyber Security" officers had asked victims for private pictures and then blackmailed them.[1][2][25][26][27]
Reported in: Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp video calls and dating apps, nationwide
How it works
A friendly profile builds trust quickly, then either asks for money for travel, customs or an emergency, or pushes for an intimate video call that is recorded and used for blackmail.
Red flags
- A new contact who moves fast to love, marriage or intimate video calls
- Someone who cannot meet but needs money for travel, customs or fines
- A threat to share images unless you pay
- A caller claiming to be a police or cyber officer who asks for private pictures
How to protect yourself
- Accept friend requests only from people you know
- Do not share intimate images or join video calls with people you have not met
- Never send private pictures to a caller who says he is a police or cyber officer; the Cyber Bureau has warned about such callers
If it happened to you
- Do not pay; payment usually brings more demands
- Keep screenshots of the profile, chats and threats, then block
- Report to the Cyber Bureau or your nearest police office
Where to report: The Cyber Bureau or your nearest police office.
City by city
Kathmandu valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur)
The Cyber Bureau's head office is in Bhotahity, Kathmandu, and most published arrests come from the valley. In 2026 the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office arrested people accused of taking money for jobs in New Zealand, Azerbaijan and Canada (May) and of taking more than Rs 3 million for jobs in European countries (June), and sent them to DoFE for investigation; the Cyber Bureau arrested suspects in Kathmandu over the film-trailer app scheme (January); Kathmandu District Police arrested a man over Rs 14.87 million in illegal crypto transactions (July); and a Lalitpur buyer lost an advance to an Instagram shop (July).[27][13][14][21][22][19]
- Before paying anyone in the valley for a job abroad, check the agency on DoFE's list and get a receipt for the full amount
- Ask online sellers for cash on delivery or a VAT bill
Where to report: The Cyber Bureau or your nearest police office; 100 in an emergency.
Pokhara and Kaski
Kaski police reported several cases in 2026: two people arrested over Facebook offers of hotel jobs in Poland that cost 11 people Rs 1.46 million (February); two people arrested in Prasyang, Pokhara-5, over a holiday-voucher scheme that took Rs 965,000 from 30 people and used 15 young people hired as staff (July); and a woman who lost Rs 3.1 million to a Facebook friend and fake "customs" calls (August). A buyer in Lekhnath lost money to a TikTok seller. Kaski police's information officer warned that small investments promising high profits and expensive goods at cheap prices are the first signs of fraud.[15][31][26][19]
- Be wary of "lucky draw" or holiday-voucher coupons that ask for payment
- Contact the District Police Office, Kaski, at once if you have been cheated
Where to report: District Police Office, Kaski, or your nearest police office; 100 in an emergency.
Dhading, Makwanpur, Chitwan and other districts
Phone and online fraud reaches every district. In Dhading, cyber crime complainants rose from 20 in 2023/24 to 114 in 2025/26; police said WhatsApp and the eSewa and Khalti wallets were the main channels, with fake lottery wins, overseas jobs and parcel deliveries. In July 2026 Makwanpur police arrested four people in Hetauda over an online fraud network run through Telegram and WhatsApp and asked anyone who thinks they were cheated through the same numbers or IDs to contact the district Crime Investigation Branch. The film-trailer app scheme presented itself as a company based in Chitwan, using fake registration papers.[29][30][21]
Where to report: Your District Police Office or nearest police office; local police work with the Cyber Bureau on these cases.
Where to report a scam in Nepal
Channels named on official Nepali pages or in official statements reported by the press. If you are in danger, call 100.
| Situation | Channel | Source |
|---|---|---|
| You are in danger or a crime is happening now | Nepal Police emergency number 100 | Nepal Police, as reported by The Kathmandu Post |
| Money taken from your bank account or eSewa, Khalti or another wallet | Your provider's customer service at once to freeze the account or wallet, then the Cyber Bureau or the nearest police office | Nepal Rastra Bank Financial Intelligence Unit, as reported by OnlineKhabar |
| Online fraud, hacking, sextortion or blackmail | Nepal Police Cyber Bureau (head office in Bhotahity, Kathmandu) or the nearest police office; district police work with the bureau | Nepal Police statements reported by The Himalayan Times |
| Your bank or financial institution does not resolve your complaint | Nepal Rastra Bank's complaint portal gunaso.nrb.org.np; fraud can also be reported to its financial consumer protection unit | Nepal Rastra Bank, as reported by The Himalayan Times and ICT Frame |
| A problem with your mobile or internet service | Your operator first, then the Nepal Telecommunications Authority's grievance form or info@nta.gov.np | Nepal Telecommunications Authority |
| Foreign employment fraud by an agency or broker | DoFE's online complaint system ujuri.dofe.gov.np, from Nepal or abroad; DoFE 01-4792671, info@dofe.gov.np | Department of Foreign Employment |
| Someone asks for a bribe or commission in DoFE's name | dg@dofe.gov.np (your name is kept confidential) | Department of Foreign Employment |
| Help or information as a migrant worker or family member | Foreign Employment Board toll-free 1141; Hello Sarkar 1111 | Foreign Employment Board; The Kathmandu Post |
| A Nepali abroad who needs rescue or wants to complain | The Nepali embassy's labour section, or the Department of Consular Services' online rescue and complaint form | Embassy of Nepal, Riyadh |
The Cyber Bureau says money can move through several accounts within a minute and only about one rupee in ten lost to scams is recovered, so call your bank or wallet first, within minutes, with transaction IDs, numbers, times and screenshots. A national anti-scam centre with its own hotline was planned in October 2026 but was not yet running.
Six habits that stop most of these scams
The warnings from Nepal Rastra Bank, the Cyber Bureau, district police and DoFE come down to a few rules.
- Never share an OTP, PIN, password or login code with anyone, whoever they say they are
- Hang up and call your bank or wallet on the number in its official app
- Turn on two-step verification on Facebook and WhatsApp, and call back before sending money to anyone who asks by message
- Never pay to get a job, a prize, a loan or a parcel
- Go abroad for work only with a labour permit through an agency that is active on DoFE's list
- Never let anyone use your bank account, wallet or SIM, and never open one for someone else
If you have lost money: the first hour
Police say about 10 per cent of the money lost to scams is recovered. Speed is your best chance.
- Call your bank's or wallet's customer service and ask it to freeze the account and the receiving account
- Go to the Cyber Bureau or the nearest police office with transaction IDs, amounts, times and the fraudster's numbers
- Keep screenshots, links, chats and receipts
- Ignore anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee or calls claiming to be a cyber officer; report such calls to the police
If the scam happened while you were working in the Gulf
Many of our readers work in the Gulf. If you were cheated there, by an employer, an agent or an online fraudster, you can complain to the labour ministry and police of the country where you work, not only in Nepal; our scam guides for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain, linked below, list their channels in full, and our guide to working in the Gulf from Nepal explains the Nepali side. The Nepali embassy's labour section can help you prepare and follow up a complaint. If the broker who sent you is in Nepal, or the money went to a Nepali account or wallet, the Nepali channels above also apply.
- UAE: MOHRE's app or website, or the toll-free number 80084; u.ae lists the signs of labour and visa fraud
- Saudi Arabia: the labour ministry's friendly settlement service through Qiwa or 19911; domestic workers through Musaned
- Qatar: the Ministry of Labour's Unified Complaints and Disputes Platform
- Oman: the Ministry of Labour's complaints e-service or 80077000
- Kuwait: the Public Authority for Manpower's labour complaint service, which is separate from reporting a violation
- Bahrain: Ministry of Labour complaints on 17873637 or 17873919
- In Nepal: ujuri.dofe.gov.np and 1141 for the agent who sent you, the Cyber Bureau for online fraud, and your Nepali bank or wallet
Before you go abroad: three checks
Most foreign job complaints DoFE receives are against individual brokers. Three checks cut the risk.
- The agency shows as active on DoFE's Foreign Job Search list and gives you its permission number
- You pay through a bank and get a receipt for the full amount you paid
- You travel on a work visa with a labour permit, never on a visit or tourist visa with a promise to change it later