Information Technology Act 2000 Section 66d: Cheating by Personation Using Computer (2026)
What Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000 does: it punishes cheating by personation using a computer resource or communication device, meaning online fraud where the cheat pretends to be someone else. The punishment is up to three years in jail and a fine up to one lakh rupees. Last verified October 2026.
Explainer · Cyber Law · IT Act
Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000 is the online cheating offence. It punishes any person who, by using a communication device or computer resource, cheats by personation, meaning by pretending to be someone they are not. The punishment is imprisonment up to three years and a fine up to one lakh rupees. It is the section used for most online scams: fake calls, phishing links, impersonation of banks or officials, job and loan frauds, and romance scams. This explainer sets out what the section covers, its punishment, how it works with identity theft under Section 66C, and the key points. Last verified October 2026.
- What it is: Section 66D of the IT Act punishes cheating by personation using a computer resource or communication device, the main online scam offence.
- Punishment: up to three years in jail and a fine up to one lakh rupees.
- Two ingredients: cheating by pretending to be someone else, plus the use of a phone, computer or online tool.
- Usually paired: commonly charged with Section 66C (identity theft) and the cheating sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
01The short answer
Section 66D punishes online cheating by personation. If a person uses a phone, computer or any communication device to cheat someone by pretending to be another person or entity, that is the offence.
The punishment is jail for up to three years and a fine up to one lakh rupees. It is the main charge for phishing, fake caller scams, impersonation of banks or government offices, and other online frauds.
02What Section 66D says
Section 66D provides that whoever, by means of any communication device or computer resource, cheats by personation shall be punished. Two ideas have to come together:
- Cheating by personation: deceiving someone by pretending to be a different person or entity, and thereby inducing them to part with money or property or to do something they would not otherwise do; and
- Using a communication device or computer resource: a phone call, SMS, email, messaging app, website or any online tool.
It is online cheating, at its core
Section 66D takes the old idea of cheating by personation and applies it to the digital world. The deception can be a fake bank official on a call, a cloned website, a spoofed email, a fake matrimonial or job profile, or a message pretending to be from a trusted source.
Section 66D was inserted by the 2008 amendment, which came into force on 27 October 2009.
03Punishment and procedure
The punishment under Section 66D is imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, together with a fine which may extend to one lakh rupees.
Because the maximum jail term is three years, the offence is bailable under the scheme of Section 77B of the IT Act. A police officer not below the rank of Inspector investigates offences under the Act under Section 78. Online cheating is usually charged along with the cheating provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which replaced Sections 419 and 420 of the old Penal Code.
04Section 66D with 66C and the criminal code
Online fraud rarely involves a single section. A typical scam uses several at once.
| Provision | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Section 66C | Identity theft, when the fraudster uses a stolen password, OTP or unique ID |
| Section 66D | Cheating by personation using a computer or phone |
| BNS cheating sections | The general offence of cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property |
So a fraudster who steals your bank login (Section 66C) and then calls you pretending to be the bank to take your money (Section 66D) commits both, usually with the cheating offence of the criminal code as well. See also the underlying computer offence in Section 66.
05Key case law
Section 66D is one of the most frequently charged cyber offences, so most of the law sits in bail, quashing and conviction orders of trial courts and High Courts rather than in one landmark judgment. Courts have applied it to fake-caller banking frauds, phishing, lottery and job scams, loan-app frauds and impersonation of government officers, consistently treating the use of a phone or computer to deceive as the heart of the offence.
Charges under Section 66D are commonly clubbed with Section 66C and the cheating provisions of the criminal code, and courts have upheld this combined framing.
06A practical note
If you have been cheated by an online scam, a fake call or a phishing message, Section 66D is usually the central charge. Act fast, because the first hours matter for stopping a transfer. Report the fraud on the national cyber crime helpline and portal; see how to report cyber crime and online fraud, and for getting your money back, how to recover money lost to online fraud.
Save everything: the caller number, messages, links, UPI or bank references and screenshots. These records are what let the police and bank trace and freeze the fraud.
07Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
How online cheating charges are framed and decided, and what proof courts expect, often turns on earlier rulings. Claw lets you search more than 30 crore judgments and orders, with Supreme Court decisions from 1950 and High Court decisions from 1990, in under 5 seconds, so you can see how Section 66D has been applied, including on bail and quashing. You can also track a live FIR, charge sheet or appeal by party or advocate name across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, and get the next hearing date without scanning cause lists by hand. Claw does not use the documents you upload to train its AI models.
Create a free Claw account to track an online cheating case or appeal and follow every hearing, and use case search across Indian courts to find how the offence has been treated in similar matters.
08Sources and further reading
- India Code (Information Technology Act, 2000, bare text): indiacode.nic.in
- PRS Legislative Research (IT Act and amendments): prsindia.org
- Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY): meity.gov.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This explainer is general information, not legal advice. The law changes through amendments and judgments, so check the current text and take advice from counsel before you act.
09Frequently asked questions
What is Section 66D of the IT Act?
Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000 punishes any person who, using a communication device or computer resource, cheats by personation, meaning by pretending to be someone else. It is the main charge for online scams. The punishment is up to three years in jail and a fine up to one lakh rupees.
What is the punishment under Section 66D?
Imprisonment for up to three years, together with a fine which may extend to one lakh rupees.
What kind of frauds fall under Section 66D?
Phishing, fake-caller banking frauds, impersonation of banks or government officers, fake job, loan and lottery scams, romance and matrimonial frauds, and similar online cheating where the fraudster pretends to be someone else using a phone or computer.
How is Section 66D different from Section 66C?
Section 66C is identity theft, the misuse of another person's password, OTP or unique identity feature. Section 66D is cheating by personation using a computer or phone. In most frauds both apply, because the stolen identity is used to cheat the victim.
Is a Section 66D offence bailable?
Under the scheme of Section 77B of the IT Act, offences punishable with up to three years are bailable, and the maximum under Section 66D is three years. The exact status should be checked against the current statute and the facts.
Can I track a Section 66D case in Claw?
Yes. Claw lets you search more than 30 crore judgments and orders in under 5 seconds to see how online cheating charges have been treated, and track a live FIR or appeal by party or advocate across 9,102 courts, benches and forums. It researches and tracks the matter but does not give legal advice.