HIGH phishing
Is “fake irctc link asking for otp and card details” a scam?
Yes — this is a known, dangerous scam.
An SMS appearing to be from IRCTC claims your train booking failed or was cancelled, and a refund of a specific (often suspiciously round) amount is pending. A link takes you to a fake IRCTC page that captures your IRCTC login, PAN, and net-banking credentials.
How to tell
- ⚠ IRCTC sends refund updates to the email and app — they do not text refund links to recover money
- ⚠ Domain in the link is not irctc.co.in (look for variations like irctc-refund.in, irctcrefundportal.com)
- ⚠ Refund amount is suspiciously rounded (₹950, ₹1450) and the booking they claim 'failed' doesn't match your records
- ⚠ Asks you to log in via the link, then asks for OTP, net-banking password, or full debit card details
What to do right now
- 1 Do not click. Real refund status is in the IRCTC app or website (logged in)
- 2 If you actually want to check, log in to irctc.co.in directly — type the URL yourself
- 3 If you logged in on a fake page, change your IRCTC password and net-banking password immediately
- 4 If you shared card details, freeze your card and call your bank's fraud line
- 5 Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).
Full guidance, red flags, variants & official sources
"IRCTC" SMS says your train booking failed — click here for a refund →