The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has issued a cautionary note to the public after discovering a fraudulent website that is posing as its official consumer education platform.
The insurance regulator said the fake website, hosted at -https://policyholdergov.org has been misusing the official emblem and icons of Irdai, the Department of Financial Services, india.gov.in, and the Council of Insurance Ombudsman.
The regulator has also found that these websites are attempting to induce policyholders to make premium payments online and gather their personal details.
Taking note of this fake website issue, the insurance regulator has clarified that it does not do either of these things via its official website:
Collect premiums
Accept payments for claim settlements
Facilitate financial transactions
Irdai further noted that its consumer education portal is only meant to provide authentic information to policyholders regarding these key aspects:
Insurance awareness
Policyholder’s rights
Grievance redressal mechanisms such as Bima Bharosa portal/helpline and info on Insurance Ombudsman
The official consumer education website of irdai is - https://policyholder.gov.in, while the main regulatory portal remains accessible at https://irdai.gov.in.
“The matter has been escalated to the concerned authorities for urgent action,” the insurance regulator said, while advising policyholders to refrain from engaging with the fraudulent website.
Not long before, after the announcement of nil GST on individual health and life insurance premiums, a fake Irdai circular was making rounds on the internet. The viral fake message, flagged by Beshak.org, an insurance advisory platform, claimed that the GST cut will apply only to policies renewed after September 22, 2025, or to new purchases, and that it will not be valid for policies in the grace period.
The notice used a fake emblem of Irdai and tried to pass on information as a credible/official release by the regulator, which it was not.
The latest advisory by Irdai regarding fake consumer education website is reflective of growing dark practices in the insurance sector meant to fraud unsuspecting policyholders or buyers.
The insurance regulator has emhpasised on the importance of exercising caution for policyholders whenever they access insurance-related resources online, especially while dealing with premium payments or sharing personal information.
