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Am I covered?

Dating and matrimony apps: your rights and how to complain

Plain-language help for ordinary people. General information, not legal advice. Helplines, portals and screen names were checked against official Government and regulator pages on 1 November 2026. Portals change: if a screen looks different, follow the words on the screen and the official guide linked in each step.

What data they hold

  • Photos, age, religion, caste, income and family details.
  • Chats, likes and location.
  • ID documents if you verified your profile.

Your rights under current law

  • Dating and matrimony apps are intermediaries under the IT Rules, 2021. The grievance officer must acknowledge within 24 hours and resolve within 7 days.
  • Intimate or morphed images of you must be removed within 2 hours of your complaint (rule 3(2)(b), as amended on 10 February 2026).
  • If the app does not act, appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee within 30 days.
  • Fake profiles, impersonation, sextortion and sharing private images are crimes (IT Act sections 66C, 66D and 66E). Report on cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930.

Your DPDP rights once in force

Sections 11 to 14 of the DPDP Act (your rights) and the duties of companies in sections 4 to 10 start on 13 May 2027 (G.S.R. 843(E)). Until then, use the sector rules on this page. After that date you can use both.

From 13 May 2027 you can ask what personal data they hold about you and who they shared it with (section 11), and ask for correction or erasure (section 12). They must stop using data once you withdraw consent, unless a law requires them to keep it. Data about your religion, caste or health is not given a separate category in the DPDP Act, but the company must still protect it and use it only for the purpose you agreed.

  • Access: a summary of your data and who it was shared with (section 11).
  • Correction, completion, updating and erasure (section 12).
  • Grievance redressal by the company, before going to the Board (section 13).
  • Nominate someone to act after your death or incapacity (section 14).
  • Withdraw consent, as easily as you gave it (section 6(4)).

Common problems

  • A match who moves you to WhatsApp and then asks for money or investment.
  • Sextortion after a video call.
  • Your photos used on a fake profile.
  • Your profile still visible after you deleted the account.

Evidence to keep

  • Profile links and usernames.
  • Screenshots of chats with dates.
  • Payment proof.
  • Your report number from the app.

See the full evidence checklist.

How to approach, step by step

Go in this order. Start with the company. Move to the next step only when the time limit has passed or the reply is not good enough. If money was lost or you were threatened, go to 1930 or the police first.

Write to the company's grievance officer

Most apps and websites must name a grievance officer. E-commerce sites, ride apps and platforms such as job portals, dating and matrimony apps all have one under the rules that apply to them.

Keep this ready before you start:

  • Your account ID, registered mobile or email, and order or booking number.
  • Screenshots and dates.
  • What you want: delete my data, stop calls, refund, remove a profile.
  1. Open the app or website. Look for Grievance Officer, Contact us or Privacy policy. The officer's name and contact must be shown there.
  2. Write a short complaint. Use the template on this page.
  3. Attach screenshots.
  4. Send it. Save the acknowledgement or ticket number and the date.
  5. Wait for the time limit for that kind of company (shown in the time limits on this page).
  6. If there is no reply, send one reminder with your ticket number.
  7. Then go to the next step on this page.

Checked on 1 November 2026 against: National Consumer Helpline FAQ: Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, as amended up to 10 February 2026.

Complain to the app or platform, then the Grievance Appellate Committee

Social media and other online platforms must publish the name and contact of a Grievance Officer. The IT Rules, 2021 (as amended on 10 February 2026) set short time limits.

Keep this ready before you start:

  • Links (URLs) to the post, profile or account.
  • Screenshots with date and time.
  • Your own account name, and the complaint number from the platform.
  1. Find the platform's Grievance Officer. The rules require the name, contact and complaint method to be shown on the website or app, usually under Help, Legal or Grievance.
  2. Send your complaint there. Attach links and screenshots.
  3. The Grievance Officer must acknowledge it within 24 hours and resolve it within 7 days.
  4. For a request to remove content such as impersonation, privacy invasion or harassment, the limit is 36 hours.
  5. For content that shows your private body parts, nudity, sexual acts, or impersonates you (including morphed images), the platform must act within 2 hours of your complaint.
  6. If you are not satisfied, or get no reply within 30 days, appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee within 30 days.
  7. Open gac.gov.in. Click Appellant Login (File appeal / View status).
  8. Agree to the privacy policy, enter your mobile number and the captcha, then click Send OTP.
  9. Fill the appeal and upload the Grievance Officer's reply or your complaint proof.
  10. The GAC order is uploaded on the site. You get an SMS and email. The platform must publish a compliance report.
  11. The GAC does not handle money fraud or cybercrime. For those use 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.

Checked on 1 November 2026 against: IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, as amended up to 10 February 2026, Grievance Appellate Committee (IT Rules, 2021): FAQ.

Report money lost to fraud: call 1930

1930 is the national cyber crime helpline run with the Ministry of Home Affairs. It links your report to banks and wallets so they can try to stop the money. Call as fast as you can. The sooner the report reaches the bank, the better the chance.

Keep this ready before you start:

  • Your mobile number.
  • Name of the bank, wallet or app the money left from.
  • Account number, wallet ID or UPI ID that was debited.
  • Transaction ID or 12 digit UTR number for each payment.
  • Date and amount of each payment.
  • Card number, if a debit or credit card was used.
  • Screenshots of the payment and of the chat or SMS.
  1. Dial 1930 from any phone.
  2. Tell them you want to report a financial cyber fraud.
  3. Give each transaction one by one: bank, transaction ID or UTR, date and amount.
  4. Write down the acknowledgement number they give you. It also comes by SMS.
  5. Save that SMS. Take a screenshot of it.
  6. Now file the full complaint on cybercrime.gov.in (steps below). The official cybercrime.gov.in instructions ask you to complete it within 24 hours of the call.
  7. Call your bank's official customer care number too, and ask them to block the card, UPI or account. Use the number on your card or passbook.

Checked on 1 November 2026 against: I4C (Ministry of Home Affairs): National Cybercrime Reporting Portal and 1930, National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: FAQ.

File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in

The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal takes complaints about online fraud, hacking, fake profiles, harassment and more. Your complaint goes to the police of your State or Union Territory. The screen names below come from the portal's FAQ and the Ministry of Home Affairs citizen manual. The portal can change. If a screen looks different, follow the words on the screen.

Keep this ready before you start:

  • Date and time of the incident.
  • Incident details in your own words. The portal checklist asks for at least 200 characters and no special characters such as # $ @ ^ * ` ~ | !
  • A photo or scan of a national ID (Voter ID, Driving Licence, Passport, PAN or Aadhaar) in .jpg, .jpeg or .png, not more than 5 MB.
  • For money fraud: bank or wallet name, 12 digit transaction ID or UTR, date and amount.
  • Evidence files such as screenshots, not more than 10 MB each.
  • If known: the other person's mobile number, email, bank account, website link or social media handle.
  1. Open cybercrime.gov.in in a browser.
  2. Click File a complaint.
  3. Read the message. Tick I Accept.
  4. Click Report Other Cyber Crime. (For sexual content involving women or children, use the women and child section instead.)
  5. Type your name in User Name. Type your mobile number.
  6. Click Get OTP. Type the OTP you receive. It is valid for 30 minutes.
  7. Fill the security answer. Click Submit.
  8. In Incident details, choose the Category of complaint. For money loss choose Online Financial Fraud. For fake profiles or harassment choose Online and Social Media Related Crime.
  9. Choose the Sub-Category that fits best.
  10. Enter the approximate date and time. If you are late, fill Reason for delay in reporting.
  11. Choose Where did the incident occur? (for example a phone call, SMS, WhatsApp, a website or an app).
  12. Upload your evidence files.
  13. Write what happened in the details box. Say who contacted you, from which number, what they said, what you shared or paid, and when.
  14. Click Save and Next.
  15. Add suspect details if you have them: name, mobile number, bank account, UPI ID or website. Click Save & Next.
  16. Fill your own details and address. Choose your State, District and Police Station.
  17. Upload your ID proof. Click Save & Preview.
  18. Check everything. Tick I Agree. Click Confirm & Submit.
  19. Write down the Complaint ID shown on screen. You also get it by SMS and email. It is a complaint number, not an FIR number.
  20. Click Download PDF and save the file in a safe folder.
  21. To check progress later, log in the same way and click Check Status.
  22. If you get no action, or are not happy with what the police did, contact the cyber crime grievance officer of your State or Union Territory listed on the portal. You can also visit your local police station with the PDF and ask for an FIR.

Checked on 1 November 2026 against: National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: FAQ, National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: checklist before filing, I4C (Ministry of Home Affairs): National Cybercrime Reporting Portal and 1930.

Use your DPDP rights (from 13 May 2027)

The rights in sections 11 to 14 of the DPDP Act, and the duties of companies that go with them, start on 13 May 2027 (G.S.R. 843(E)). Until then you can still write to a company and ask. Many will answer. But they are not yet bound by these sections.

Keep this ready before you start:

  • The company's published method for rights requests. Rule 14 says companies must show it on their website or app.
  • The identifier they ask for, such as your username, customer ID or registered mobile number.
  1. Find the company's rights or grievance page, or its Data Protection Officer contact.
  2. Send a written request using the method they publish. Use our request letter template.
  3. Ask for what you need: a summary of your data and how it is used, and the names of everyone it was shared with (section 11); correction, completion, updating or erasure (section 12); or a fix for a grievance (section 13). You can also nominate someone to act for you after death or incapacity (section 14), and withdraw consent (section 6(4)).
  4. Save the acknowledgement or ticket number.
  5. Wait for the time they publish. Rule 14(3) says it cannot be more than 90 days.
  6. If they refuse or do not answer, you can complain to the Data Protection Board of India. You must use the company's grievance route first (section 13(3)).
  7. The Board works as a digital office. Use the method it publishes on its website and app (rule 19). We will add the link when the Board publishes it.

Checked on 1 November 2026 against: Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (MeitY copy of the Gazette), Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 (G.S.R. 846(E)), G.S.R. 843(E): start dates for the Act.

Ready-to-use complaint

Copy, fill the brackets, and send it through the company's official channel. Keep a copy.

To: Grievance Officer, [app]
Subject: [Fake profile using my photos / intimate images / scam], profile [link]

The profile [link] [uses my photos without consent / shared intimate images of me / is running a scam]. Proof attached. Please remove it within the time set by rule 3(2) of the IT Rules, 2021 and confirm.

[Name], [your profile or mobile], [date]

Time limits

  • Acknowledgement: 24 hours. Resolution: 7 days. Intimate images: 2 hours.
  • GAC appeal: within 30 days.
  • Fraud: call 1930 at once.

If this happened to you

Official sources

On this page
  1. What they hold
  2. Current rights
  3. DPDP rights
  4. Common problems
  5. Evidence
  6. Step by step
  7. Template
  8. Time limits
  9. Scenarios
  10. Sources