In numbers: How massive is India's digital fraud problem?
Indians lost more than Rs 22,000 crore to cyber frauds in 2025.
Cybercrimes, fraud, scams. Every day, you hear countless horror stories of people being defrauded out of thousands and lakhs — sometimes even crores. From digital arrests to OTP scams, like the Hydra, these cons keep growing new heads every time one is shut down.
One method that’s now commonplace is scammers impersonating delivery agents or customer support staff. They ask victims to share a one-time password or click a payment link. This is why the logistics sector leads in scams in India.
According to a TransUnion report, the sector recorded the highest suspected digital fraud attempt rate in India in 2025 at 16.3 per cent, followed by telecommunications at 14.7 per cent, and insurance at 11.5 per cent. Online real-money gaming and betting platforms saw a fraud attempt rate of 9.6 per cent, while online dating and social platforms recorded 4.7 per cent.
India remains one of the highest-risk countries, with an average fraud loss of $2,265, around 36 per cent higher than the global average of $1,671. According to a Rajya Sabha response by Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, complaints registered on India's National Cybercrime Reporting Portal surged from 2.6 lakh in 2021 to 24 lakh in 2025, while the amount involved jumped from Rs 551 crore to Rs 22,495 crore. The nearly 41-fold increase in the amount involved, compared to a nine-fold rise in complaints, indicates that digital fraud is becoming increasingly severe.
India recorded more than one lakh cybercrime cases in 2024 — the highest annual tally on record — an increase of around 18 per cent over the previous year. Fraud emerged as the biggest driver of cybercrime, accounting for 73,987 cases, or nearly 73 per cent of all cybercrimes registered across the country.
According to National Crime Records Bureau data, Telangana reported the highest cybercrime rate in the country at 71.1 cases per lakh population, with more than 27,000 cases registered during the year. Karnataka ranked second with a rate of 32.2 and nearly 22,000 cases. These coincide with the presence of major technology hubs in these states. Among other major states, Uttar Pradesh recorded more than 11,000 cybercrime cases in 2024, followed by Maharashtra with nearly 9,900 cases and Bihar with around 6,380 cases.
Cybercrimes, fraud, scams. Every day, you hear countless horror stories of people being defrauded out of thousands and lakhs — sometimes even crores. From digital arrests to OTP scams, like the Hydra, these cons keep growing new heads every time one is shut down.
One method that’s now commonplace is scammers impersonating delivery agents or customer support staff. They ask victims to share a one-time password or click a payment link. This is why the logistics sector leads in scams in India.
According to a TransUnion report, the sector recorded the highest suspected digital fraud attempt rate in India in 2025 at 16.3 per cent, followed by telecommunications at 14.7 per cent, and insurance at 11.5 per cent. Online real-money gaming and betting platforms saw a fraud attempt rate of 9.6 per cent, while online dating and social platforms recorded 4.7 per cent.
India remains one of the highest-risk countries, with an average fraud loss of $2,265, around 36 per cent higher than the global average of $1,671. According to a Rajya Sabha response by Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, complaints registered on India's National Cybercrime Reporting Portal surged from 2.6 lakh in 2021 to 24 lakh in 2025, while the amount involved jumped from Rs 551 crore to Rs 22,495 crore. The nearly 41-fold increase in the amount involved, compared to a nine-fold rise in complaints, indicates that digital fraud is becoming increasingly severe.
India recorded more than one lakh cybercrime cases in 2024 — the highest annual tally on record — an increase of around 18 per cent over the previous year. Fraud emerged as the biggest driver of cybercrime, accounting for 73,987 cases, or nearly 73 per cent of all cybercrimes registered across the country.
According to National Crime Records Bureau data, Telangana reported the highest cybercrime rate in the country at 71.1 cases per lakh population, with more than 27,000 cases registered during the year. Karnataka ranked second with a rate of 32.2 and nearly 22,000 cases. These coincide with the presence of major technology hubs in these states. Among other major states, Uttar Pradesh recorded more than 11,000 cybercrime cases in 2024, followed by Maharashtra with nearly 9,900 cases and Bihar with around 6,380 cases.
