A 67-year-old woman in Maharashtra allegedly lost ₹13 lakh after cyber criminals posing as police officials kept her under 'digital arrest' for about a week. According to The Times of India, the fraudsters allegedly threatened her with arrest, claiming that her bank account was linked to an account suspected of being involved in terrorism. Fearing legal action and its consequences, she transferred ₹8 lakh via Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) to a bank account provided by the cybercriminals on 29 September, followed by another ₹5 lakh to a different account the following day. The woman later realised she had been duped and approached authorities to report the alleged cyber fraud.
Cyber fraud incidents in India have experienced a dramatic surge, with the Press Information Bureau (PIB) reporting a jump from 10.29 lakh incidents in 2022 to 22.68 lakh in 2024. According to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), cyber frauds amounted to ₹36.45 lakh in reported cases. As reported by Mint, this growth reflects the increasing scale and complexity of digital threats facing Indian consumers and businesses. The latest data from the Ministry of Home Affairs shows more than 65.89 lakh financial-fraud complaints were reported on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal between 2021 and 2025, involving more than ₹55,050 crore. The number of complaints has risen sharply from 2.62 lakh in 2021 to 24.02 lakh in 2025, while the amount reported increased from ₹551 crore to ₹22,495 crore during the same period.
Cyber fraudsters are increasingly sophisticated in their approach, using tactics that exploit fear, stress, and urgency to target even well-educated individuals. According to Mint, Prerna, a highly qualified working professional, fell victim to multiple scam attempts including fake promotional offers, random caller requests for money transfers, and delivery partner requests for cancellation OTPs. Her experience demonstrates how scammers often disguise fraudulent requests as routine interactions, with one delivery partner successfully obtaining a cancellation OTP despite her repeated attempts to show she had no ordered products. A recent study conducted by IIT Madras researchers revealed that even highly educated and digitally experienced people can fall prey to financial cyber fraud, with scammers often using tactics like fear, stress, and urgency to impair their ability to assess situations properly.
According to Gaurav Gupta, Group Head - Financial Crime Intelligence at Axis Bank, victims should act immediately when suspecting cyber fraud. The recommended steps include reporting the incident through official customer service channels, blocking compromised cards or accounts including digital channels, and changing passwords or PINs linked to banking services. However, recent cybersecurity experts emphasize that disconnecting the impacted device is the first critical step before making any changes, as changing passwords may inadvertently notify hackers of your awareness and provide them with additional opportunities to access your account. Vijay Pal Dalmia, Advocate and Senior Partner at Vaish Associates, recommends that victims should save pictures of fraudulent messages, transaction receipts, chats, and caller numbers, besides keeping emails, text logs, and transaction URLs active until authorities record them. The victim should immediately change passwords and secure accounts while reporting the incident to the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or the cybercrime reporting portal.
The Maharashtra incident highlights critical lessons for senior citizens facing digital fraud. 1. Police do not demand money to avoid arrest - there is no such thing as 'digital arrest' in Indian law, as explained by a former judge. 2. Never transfer money under pressure - fraudsters focus on creating fear and urgency in victims. 3. Do not trust video calls or official-looking setups - scammers may use police uniforms, digital paperwork, logos, backgrounds and fake documents to appear genuine. 4. Never share banking details or credentials - do not disclose confidential data such as OTPs, PINs, passwords, card details, or net banking information to callers. 5. Verify independently and report quickly - if a caller claims that an account is involved in a crime, contact the nearest police station or concerned bank through an independently verified number. Most importantly, a suspicious call or message should never lead to an immediate financial decision, especially when the caller demands money or threatens arrest.
