If you are searching for cyber crime complaint lawyer fees in Kolkata, the cost depends first on what you actually need done. Many people only need help drafting and filing a complaint on the national cyber crime portal or at the local cyber cell, which is a bounded piece of work with a correspondingly modest fee. Others need follow-up with a bank to freeze and recover money, or a full police investigation and later trial, which are larger stages. The fee follows the work, not the label, and a figure given before the facts are known is only a guess.
How advocates charge for cyber crime work
Our cyber fraud practice handles complaints, bank follow-up and representation as matters progress. Charges usually fall into these patterns:
- Fixed fee for a defined task. Drafting and filing the complaint, preparing the evidence bundle, and following it up with the police or the portal.
- Per-stage fee. Assisting the investigation, representing you as complainant or as accused, and any trial stage, each charged separately.
- Per-hearing appearance. Each date before the police, the cyber cell, or the court carries an appearance fee.
- Retainer. For businesses facing online fraud, data or impersonation issues, a monthly arrangement for a defined scope.
Where a cyber crime complaint is filed
Financial cyber fraud is usually reported first on the national cyber crime portal and through the financial-fraud helpline, so that a bank can be alerted quickly; a written complaint to the local police station or the cyber cell follows. The procedure for registering a first information report now runs under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, which replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, and offences of computer misuse, identity theft and cheating online are prosecuted under the Information Technology Act 2000 together with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023. Which authority acts first depends on whether money has moved and how quickly it is reported.
Timing matters more in cyber fraud than in almost any other kind of complaint. A transfer reported within the first hours can sometimes be frozen before the money is moved on, so the practical advice is to report on the portal and alert the bank immediately, even before a lawyer is involved, and then get help framing the written complaint and organising the evidence.
What is not covered by the advocate's fee
- Court fees. Where a court fee applies, it is prescribed by the Court Fees Act as amended for West Bengal, and the current rate should be confirmed against the schedule.
- Certified copies, notarisation and photocopying.
- Forensic or technical reports and any private expert examination of devices or accounts.
- Translations of documents or messages in another language.
- Travel where a complaint or hearing is outside Kolkata.
- Bank charges and any recovery-agent cost, which are not legal fees at all.
What drives the cost up or down
- Type of fraud. A single phishing loss is handled differently from a long-running investment or business-email compromise.
- Whether money moved, and how fast. A quick report to the portal and the bank gives the best chance of a freeze; a delayed one changes the work.
- Whether you are the complainant or the accused. Defending an allegation is a different and often larger engagement.
- Evidence and tracing. Following funds through multiple accounts, or examining devices, adds technical work.
- Number of hearings and forums. Police follow-up, the cyber cell and any court stage each add cost.
Documents you will usually need
- Your identity and address proof.
- Screenshots and saved messages of the fraudulent communication or listing.
- Bank or payment-app statements showing the transfer.
- The transaction reference numbers and the account or wallet details used by the fraudster.
- Any email headers, web addresses or app details involved.
- Any reference number the portal or police has already given you.
- Copies of earlier complaints or correspondence with the bank.
- A written, dated account of what happened, in time order.
Questions to ask before you engage an advocate
- Is my matter a straightforward complaint, or does it need a court case as well?
- Is the fee fixed for the complaint, or charged per stage and per hearing?
- What will you do to help the bank freeze or trace the money, and is that part of the fee?
- Are court fees, technical reports and travel separate charges?
- How will you keep me updated on the police or portal response?
- If the matter goes to trial, what changes about the fee?
Our published fees
Our published consultation and appearance fees are set out on our pricing page. Our work on online fraud and complaints is described on our cyber fraud service page. If you would like to speak first, the details are on our contact page, and practical guidance on notices and complaints appears on our blog.
Do I need a lawyer to file a cyber crime complaint?
You can file on the national portal yourself, and you should do that immediately if money has moved. A lawyer helps when the complaint needs to be framed carefully, when evidence must be organised, or when the matter moves to investigation or court.
Is the lawyer's fee the same whether I am the victim or the accused?
No. Acting for a complainant is usually a bounded, staged engagement, while defending an allegation can involve investigation, bail and trial, and is priced accordingly.
Can stolen money be recovered?
Sometimes, and the speed of reporting matters most. No one can promise recovery; the outcome depends on how quickly the bank is alerted and where the funds went.
Is the advocate's fee inclusive of court fees and technical reports?
No. Court fees are statutory and prescribed by the Court Fees Act as amended for West Bengal, and technical or forensic reports are third-party costs, both separate from the advocate's professional fee.