Kathmandu, November 4
Nepal’s integrated Anti-Cyber Scam Centre will begin operations on Friday, bringing key government agencies, banks and payment service providers under one roof to tackle online fraud.
The centre has been established to coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to cyber scams carried out through online platforms.
The Ministry of Home Affairs set up the mechanism by issuing the Guidelines on the Establishment and Operation of the Integrated Cyber Scam Response Centre, 2026 on October 9.
Representatives from Nepal Rastra Bank, Nepal Police’s Cyber Bureau, banks and financial institutions, payment system operators and payment service providers will work together through the centre.
Anand Kafle, joint secretary at the Home Ministry, said a meeting of the centre’s steering committee this week decided to begin operations on Friday.
“Cases of online fraud that have so far been handled by the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau will be fully handled by the centre from Friday,” Kafle said. “The centre’s steering committee decided at its meeting on Wednesday to begin operations from Friday. The Ministry of Finance has also released the required budget.”
Kafle said the budget would be used to arrange telephone communication facilities and a high-bandwidth network required for the centre’s operations.
Deepak Raj Awasthi, spokesperson for the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau, said personnel from the police, Nepal Rastra Bank, banks and financial institutions, payment system operators and service providers, as well as telecommunications companies, would work together at the centre.
He said representatives of all the participating agencies would be physically present at the facility around the clock.
“Since there will be physical staff presence 24 hours a day, it will be up to the banks to decide how they deploy their personnel,” Awasthi said. “Nepal Rastra Bank is coordinating the deployment of staff from banks and financial institutions. The central bank may already have received the list of personnel who will work at the centre.”
The centre is currently housed in the new building of the Cyber Bureau and will operate under the bureau. Awasthi said preparations were under way to develop the centre’s operational systems.
“The software has not yet been completed. We are working on a system that will allow complaints to be received through software,” he said. “Initially, we are preparing to receive complaints through a hotline, although the hotline number has yet to be finalised.”
The centre aims to ensure that data and financial transactions linked to online scams can be identified and frozen quickly.
“If the data can be frozen in time and all the relevant stakeholders are working together, the aim is to prevent scammers from withdrawing the money they have stolen from the financial system,” Awasthi said.
He added that each participating institution would decide how to organise staff shifts, whether by deploying two people for 12-hour shifts or three people for eight-hour shifts.
The centre will also need a system to train its personnel and maintain records. Once it becomes operational, victims of online fraud will be expected to report incidents through the centre’s hotline instead of contacting the Cyber Bureau or individual banks. With all relevant agencies working from the same location, complaints and follow-up action will be coordinated through the centre.
Types of cyber fraud covered
Under the guidelines approved by the Home Ministry, the centre will handle complaints involving scams disguised as online investment opportunities, job offers and romantic relationships.
It will also deal with fraud related to online buying and selling, digital arrest and blackmail, QR codes and digital wallets, as well as phishing, smishing and vishing.
Other categories include cryptocurrency-related fraud, SIM swapping, scams through social media, fake lottery and gift parcel schemes, and online betting fraud.
The guidelines assign specific responsibilities to each participating institution.
Nepal Police will receive complaints, conduct investigations, collect evidence and coordinate with other agencies.
Nepal Rastra Bank will issue regulatory directives and establish standards for freezing bank accounts and funds. Commercial banks will identify suspicious accounts and handle the freezing and release of funds.
Payment service providers will freeze wallet accounts and funds and provide transaction details. Payment system operators will monitor the movement of funds and supply relevant transaction records.
Telecommunications companies will deactivate mobile numbers and SIM cards used in scams, while internet service providers will block phishing domains and IP addresses.
Guidelines set deadlines for action
The guidelines also establish specific time limits for responding to complaints and tracing stolen funds.
Complaints received through the hotline, online portal, mobile application or police units must be registered and prioritised within 10 minutes.
The next step is to identify the stolen funds. Within 10 to 30 minutes, representatives of banks and payment service providers are required to trace the beneficiary account or wallet into which the money was transferred and establish the transaction trail.
Once the transaction is identified, the centre is expected to initiate action to freeze the stolen funds within 10 to 60 minutes. This involves asking the relevant bank or wallet provider to block the funds. If the money has already been transferred to another account, the centre will trace the transaction trail and seek to freeze it in subsequent accounts.
The process also includes deactivating SIM cards used in the fraud, blocking phishing domains and IP addresses, and preserving relevant digital evidence.
The collected evidence will then be forwarded to the relevant police investigation unit. The centre will also coordinate the process of returning money to victims through court orders, in accordance with prevailing laws, and ensure that accounts belonging to innocent individuals that were mistakenly frozen are released.
The centre will operate under the guidance of a steering committee and an operational coordination committee.
