India’s rapid digital expansion has created fertile ground for organised cybercrime. The Meta H1 2026 Adversarial Threat Report notes that Indians are now the second-most targeted population in cybercrimes globally. What was once scattered deception has evolved into a corporate-style criminal industry. Fraud networks operate using social media, encrypted messaging services and AI-generated content to identify, profile and exploit victims. In 2025 alone, Meta removed 10.9 million accounts linked to scam centres in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines. The methods have also changed. Online fraud is no longer limited to indiscriminate mass messaging. Criminal networks increasingly conduct targeted operations resembling spear-phishing or whaling attacks where scammers research specific individuals, craft personalised approaches, and often target those perceived to be wealthy or socially influential. In many cases victims are contacted again by fraudsters posing as police officers or investigators who promise to resolve the earlier fraud for an additional payment. Cybercrime has therefore moved from opportunistic deception to systematic exploitation.
India’s digital ecosystem makes the country especially vulnerable. By early 2025, nearly 491 million Indians were active on social media. Cheap smartphones, inexpensive data and instant digital payment systems have widened the pool of potential victims. Digital adoption has advanced faster than digital literacy and, as a result, data presented in Parliament indicates that Indians lost about
Rs 22,845 crore to cyber fraud in 2024, a 206% annual rise. These losses represent a growing shadow economy extracting wealth from households. Government responses include the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal to streamline complaints and help authorities track suspicious transactions. Yet, enforcement alone cannot keep pace with transnational networks. The response must thus extend beyond policing. Technology platforms through which scams spread must be held accountable for fraudulent advertising. Financial institutions need faster mechanisms to freeze suspicious transfers and trace funds across banks. Digital literacy must be treated as public infrastructure rather than an occasional awareness campaign. Unless platforms, regulators and financial institutions act in concert, the digital systems that enable financial inclusion risks becoming a pipeline for organised fraud.