Indians lose over Rs 52,976 crore to cyber frauds over six years: Report

New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) Indians lost over Rs 52,976 crore to various frauds and cheating cases over the past six years, with Maharashtra recording the highest monetary losses in such offences, according to reports.

Losses of about Rs 19,813 crore and 2,177,524 cheating‑related complaints were recorded in 2025, according to data from Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) that compiled information from National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

Reported losses in 2024 was Rs 22,849.49 crore with 1,918,852 complaints, and smaller sums were recorded in earlier years pointing to a worrying surge in financial crimes such as investment traps, digital arrest, online scams and banking frauds.

Analysts attributed the sharp rise to rapid digitisation, increased online transactions and more sophisticated scam networks.

The data showed Maharashtra suffered the largest monetary losses from cheating cases last year at Rs 3,203 crore with 2,833,20 complaints, followed by Karnataka at Rs 2,413 crore and 2,132,28 complaints, according to a report from Indian Express.

Tamil Nadu posted losses of 1,897 crore and 1,232,90 complaints, Uttar Pradesh at Rs 1,443 crore and 2,752,64 complaints; and Telangana with Rs 1,372 crore of losses and 95,000 complaints, were among top five states accounting for more than half the national total, the report said.

“Out of Rs 19,812 crore, 77 per cent was lost in the name of investment schemes, 8 per cent lost through digital arrest, 7 per cent via credit card fraud, 4 per cent in sextortion, 3 per cent in e-commerce fraud and 1 per cent to app/malware based fraud,” data showed.

Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS) data showed that around 21 crore cyber fraud complaints were reported in 2025 with 45 per cent of them originating from Southeast Asian countries – Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.

The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal has been launched to enable citizens to report complaints relating to various categories of cybercrime, with a special focus on offences targeting women and children. A dedicated cybercrime helpline number, 1930, provides immediate assistance to victims of online financial frauds.

aar/pk