The initiative of Digital India has connected over 86% households to the internet within a span of a decade. Today, the country’s cyberspace handles crores of daily transactions and interactions. Undoubtedly, while there is rapid expansion of digital services this has also increased the potentiality for cyber frauds, escalating high need for cybersecurity.
As per the official figures, the incidents of fraud were recorded to be 1 million in 2022 which will increase to 2.2 million in 2024. National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) alone reported cyber frauds amounting to INR 36.45 lakhs as of February 2025.
Cyber frauds—usually the deceptive activities of unauthorized access, data theft, and online scams intended to cause financial loss—not only drains Indian citizens economically but it immensely impacts their mental and psychological wellbeing especially those belonging to the marginalized community.
The security complications come due to the involvement of the global fraudsters, who are often linked to organized crime and fraud factories based out in Southeast Asia.
Evolving Online Threat Landscape
Many experts opine that the patterns of cyber fraud are constantly evolving. As fraudsters often rely on new technologies and exploit user behaviors and lack of exposure.
Today, fraudsters are relying on sophisticated threats such as “spoofing”, where criminals impersonate trusted sources, and the high reliance of deepfakes wherein Artificial Intelligence (AI) is exploited. “Phishing” is another strategy used by these online scammers, wherein victims are lured into revealing sensitive information.
Over the recent years, many reports have emerged wherein even India’s preferred digital payment mode, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), has been targeted through compromised mobile numbers.
To counter the high number of exploitation, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has launched the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) to classify suspicious mobile numbers, adding an essential layer of prevention.
Furthermore, to combat illicit digital ventures like online betting apps that generated over ₹400 crores in criminal proceeds, the authorities in August 2025 passed the legislation Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025.
The aim of this new law is to eradicate online money gaming while encouraging e-sports and social online games.
Legal and Institutional Framework
Among the notable legal frameworks to counter the cyber attack in the country remains the Information Technology Act, 2000, this legislature addresses the offenses like identity theft and digital impersonation.
Adding to this legal provision are the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, ensuring accountability of digital platforms, and the crucial Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which mandates lawful and consented handling of personal data.
This legislation has allowed authorities to legally block over 9.42 lakh fraudulent SIM cards and 2,63,348 IMEIs linked to criminal activities.
At the institutional level, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) serves as the national agency for incident response, allowing the administration to monitor threats and issuing advisories. In that regard, the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) focuses on safeguarding critical sectors such as banking, telecom, transportation and power.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), established under the Ministry of Home Affairs, provides a legal framework for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), has led to 12,987 arrests. I4C therefore supports capacity-building through its CyTrain portal—which has registered over 1,05,796 police officers—and facilitating real-time investigation tools like the Samanvaya Platform’s ‘Pratibimb’ module.
In the recent past, I4C has reportedly blocked thousands of fraudulent Skype IDs and WhatsApp accounts.
Citizen-Centric Response
The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal – NCCRP (www.cybercrime.gov.in) and the helpline number 1930 provide timely assistance to victims of online financial frauds. Through the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), the financial institutions have retrieved over INR 5,489 crore across 17.82 lakh complaints.
The Union Budget 2025 allocation of INR 782 crore for cybersecurity projects highlights the government’s willingness to increase focus on advancing the parameters needed for national security. The events like Bharat National Cybersecurity Exercise 2025, and the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 reaffirms the country’s commitment to fortify digital resilience.
Since the country remains at the crossroads of the digital transformation and cyber threats, securing cyberspace is an ongoing and shared responsibility. Realising this vision, government-led multi-layered response is facilitating fraud operations and bolstering national resilience. In the words of security experts, citizen vigilance through continuous cyber awareness campaigns remains the critical line of defence in the combat against cyber frauds.
Courtesy: PIB Srinagar
