Most of us have gotten a message like this at some point.
Someone calls, claiming to be from your bank, and says your account will be blocked unless you update your KYC right now. Your electricity connection is getting disconnected tonight. You’ve won a prize and just need to pay a small fee to claim it. A “delivery” that needs a small payment to be released.
Or someone may contact you on WhatsApp pretending to be a police officer, a government official, a customer-care executive, or even someone you know.
The problem is not always obvious. Scammers often use real company names, familiar logos, convincing language, and pressure tactics to make a fake message look genuine.
These scams have gotten more convincing, and they now show up as calls, WhatsApp messages, SMS, emails, and even fake apps, often looking exactly like something official. Kerala alone loses hundreds of crores of rupees to cyber fraud every year, and the numbers keep climbing.
The Kerala Police has built a free tool to help with this called Cyberwall. It lets you check whether something suspicious is actually a scam before you click, pay, share information, or install anything. Here’s what it is and how to use it.
What Is Cyberwall
Cyberwall is an AI-powered digital safety assistant developed by Kerala Police’s Cyber Division. You send it a suspicious call, message, link, phone number, email, or even a screenshot or voice note, and it checks it against known fraud patterns and gives you a clear answer.
For example, imagine you receive this SMS:
“Your bank account will be suspended today. Complete KYC immediately by clicking this link.”
Instead of clicking the link to find out what happens, you can first check the information through Cyberwall.
The idea is particularly useful because scams often depend on getting people to act before they have time to think.
The result comes as a trust score out of 100, along with a plain-language explanation of what it found and what you should do next. No technical knowledge needed. You just describe what happened the way you’d explain it to a friend, and Cyberwall works out what to check.
It’s completely free, and it’s an official Kerala Police initiative, not a private app or third-party service.
How to Access Cyberwall
Cyberwall is available through platforms most people already use.
WhatsApp: Message the official Cyberwall number at +91 94979 64163 and describe what you received, or forward it directly.
Telegram: Cyberwall also runs a bot at @Cyber_wall_bot for the same checks.
PolApp: Kerala Police’s official mobile app also gives you access to Cyberwall, along with other police services. It’s available on the App Store and Google Play.
You can write in English or Malayalam, and there’s no fixed format to follow. Just explain your situation normally.
How to Check if Something Is a Scam
Suppose someone calls and says:
“I am calling from your bank. Your KYC has expired. Tell me the OTP you just received so I can update your account.”
Do not give the OTP.
Step 1: Don’t act on it yet. Before you click a link, call back a number, transfer money, or install anything, pause.
Step 2: Save what you received. Take a screenshot of the message, note down the phone number, or keep the link handy.
Step 3: Send it to Cyberwall. Open WhatsApp or Telegram, message Cyberwall, and share the screenshot, number, link, or a short description of what happened.
Step 4: Read the trust score and explanation. Cyberwall checks things like domain age, known fraud databases, sender details, and content patterns, and replies within moments with a score and a clear explanation.
Step 5: Follow the guidance. If it’s flagged as risky, don’t click, don’t call back, don’t share any details, and don’t pay. If it looks genuine but you’re still unsure, Cyberwall will tell you that too.
What You Can Check Through Cyberwall
Cyberwall is relevant when you encounter things such as suspicious calls, questionable messages, unfamiliar links, possible impersonation attempts, or online offers that seem too good to be true.
Cyberwall isn’t limited to one type of scam. These are a few common things it can verify.
A suspicious link: Something claiming to be from your bank, an e-commerce site, or a government portal. Cyberwall checks whether the domain is genuine or a lookalike built to steal your details.
An unknown or repeated caller: If you’re getting calls from a number you don’t recognize, especially ones creating urgency or asking for money, you can check it before responding.
A text or WhatsApp message asking for urgent payment or personal details: Cyberwall reads the message and flags common scam markers like artificial urgency, mismatched sender information, or requests for OTPs and bank details.
An app file (APK) someone asked you to install: Don’t install it first. Send the file to Cyberwall, and it checks the app’s permissions and origin before it ends up on your phone.
Bank account or UPI details before a transfer: If you’re about to send money to an account you’re unsure about, Cyberwall can check it against known fraud-linked accounts.
Everyday Situations Where This Helps
You get a message saying your electricity will be disconnected tonight unless you pay through a link: This is one of the most common scam formats right now. Instead of paying out of fear, send the link to Cyberwall first. It takes under a minute to get an answer.
Someone calls, claiming to be from your bank, asking you to “verify” your account by sharing an OTP: Banks never ask for OTPs over a call. If you’re unsure, hang up and check the number through Cyberwall before calling back.
A video call from someone in a police or government uniform, saying you’re under investigation and need to transfer money to “clear your name”: This is known as a “digital arrest” scam, and it has cost people in Kerala lakhs of rupees, often targeting elderly residents and NRIs. No real police or government process works this way. Report it through Cyberwall or call 1930 immediately.
A message from a “relative” or “friend” on WhatsApp, urgently asking for money: Their account may have been hacked. Before transferring anything, verify by calling them directly on their known number, and you can also run the message through Cyberwall to check for known scam patterns.
A job offer promising high pay for minimal work, sent through WhatsApp or SMS: These are frequently linked to loan app scams or fraud networks. Check the link and the message content before responding.
If You’ve Already Lost Money
If Cyberwall confirms something was a scam and you’ve already shared details or transferred money, act quickly.
If money has already been transferred, stop any further payments immediately.
The Kerala Police lists 1930 as the Cyber Crime Helpline. Call 1930 right away. The sooner you report, the higher the chance of recovering your money.
If it involved your bank account, call your bank directly to block the account or card.
Keep the evidence. Do not delete the suspicious SMS, WhatsApp conversation, phone number, screenshots, transaction information, or payment records. Kerala Police specifically advises victims to preserve these details for investigation.
You can also report the incident through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in. If you have been defrauded, do not wait for a scammer to contact you again or promise a refund.
There is another common trap here: the second scam.
After losing money, a victim may receive a call from someone claiming they can recover the money for a fee. Treat such offers with extreme caution. Kerala Police warns about follow-up scams involving supposed refunds, verification, and account recovery.
A Simple Habit Worth Building
The tool is free, easy to use, and works through apps most people already have open. The bigger shift is habit: getting into the practice of checking before you act, rather than after something’s already gone wrong.
Save the Cyberwall WhatsApp number in your contacts alongside other emergency numbers you keep handy. The next time something feels slightly off – a message, a call, a link, a “too good to be true” offer – a quick check could save you a lot more than a minute.
Always remember that the scammer’s greatest advantage is often not sophisticated technology. It is the few seconds between receiving the message and acting on it.
Give yourself those few seconds.
Verify first. Then decide what to do.