Telangana sees cyber fraud dip: Losses down to Rs 681 crore; Cyber bureau attributes fall to increased public awareness

Cyber fraud losses in Telangana fell to Rs 681 crore during January-June 2025, a Rs 219 crore decline compared to the same period last year, according to the Telangana State Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB).The reduction, driven by enhanced public awareness and targeted interventions, outpaced the national trend. While India saw a 37 per cent rise in cyber fraud complaints in the first half of 2025, Telangana recorded a 13 per cent drop, with complaints falling from 47,198 in 2024 to 41,172 in 2025. Nationwide, cyber fraud complaints rose from 7.7 lakh in H1 2024 to 10.6 lakh in H1 2025, though financial losses decreased slightly from Rs 9,958 crore to Rs 9,591 crore.Reward points scams registered the largest decline, dropping 74 per cent from 1,735 cases in 2024 to 459 in 2025. Gift fraud fell 60 per cent, digital arrest cases 45 per cent, KYC update fraud 60 per cent, and sextortion 41 per cent. Loan fraud was the only category to see an increase, rising 16 per cent from 5,999 to 6,951 cases. Police recovered Rs 107 crore from fraudsters’ accounts during this period.TGCSB Director Shikha Goel attributed the improvements to comprehensive awareness programmes, streamlined reporting systems, community engagement, and strategic enforcement.

"Large-scale, statewide initiatives targeting major scams such as digital arrest fraud, investment fraud, and OTP-based crimes were conducted. Public outreach using caller tunes, posters, workshops in schools and colleges, and focused district training programmes helped build awareness and vigilance among citizens," she said.She added that the 1930 helpline chatbot and upgraded IVR system have reduced complaint reporting time to under three minutes from six to seven minutes, enabling faster freezing of fraudulent transactions.Stock market investment and part-time job fraud caused the highest losses at Rs 170 crore, followed by credit card compromise at Rs 33 crore and digital arrest scams at Rs 33 crore. Other significant losses included customer care fraud through fake internet ads (Rs 24.5 crore), fraudulent loan processing fees (Rs 14 crore), and KYC fraud (Rs 4 crore).TGCSB data also showed that government employees were more susceptible to identity theft, unemployed individuals were most vulnerable to investment scams, and farmers were primarily targeted by loan fraud. Senior citizens reported just eight sextortion cases, while digital arrest scam victims among the elderly dropped 56 per cent, reflecting the impact of awareness campaigns.