Citizens Lost Over Rs 30,000 Crore To Cybercrimes From 2022-2024: Home Ministry To Lok Sabha

India witnessed an unprecedented surge in cyber financial fraud in 2024, with citizens reporting losses amounting to Rs 22,845.73 crore, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Disclosing the latest official data, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar told Parliament that financial losses recorded through the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS) rose sharply—from Rs 2,290.24 crore in 2022 to Rs7,465.18 crore in 2023, before tripling again in 2024. “As per CFCFRMS operated by I4C, total amount of losses incurred by citizens due to cyber frauds… from the year 2022 to 2024 are Rs2,290.24 crore, Rs 7,465.18 crore and Rs 22,845.73 crore, respectively,” he said. Along with rising financial losses, India is also witnessing an explosive increase in cybercrime complaints filed on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). According to the Ministry, “22,68,346 incidents” were reported on the portal in 2024, representing a 42.08% increase over 2023. The Minister noted that the portal registered “10,26,026 incidents in 2022, 15,96,493 in 2023 and 22,68,346 in 2024”. The MHA further cited the National Crime Records Bureau’s Crime in India 2023 report, which shows cybercrime cases rising sharply across the country. According to NCRB, India registered 86,420 cybercrime cases in 2023, nearly doubling from the 44,735 cases in 2019. The Ministry told the House that “total cybercrime cases increased from 44,735 in 2019 to 86,420 in 2023,” reflecting a consistent rise, particularly in financial, identity-related and online cheating offences. Fraud continues to dominate cybercrime categories, with 19,466 such cases reported in 2023, up from 14,007 in 2021. State-wise data shows that Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka reported some of the highest incidences, while Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan also saw major increases during the period. Responding to concerns over rising fraud against senior citizens, the MHA acknowledged that such scams are increasing rapidly but clarified that NCRB does not maintain separate data on senior citizen victims. The Minister said the Government is aware that elderly citizens are frequently duped through impersonation calls, fake customer-care numbers, investment schemes and malicious applications, and that the States/UTs are responsible for investigation. He reiterated that the Centre supplements their efforts through advisories, capacity building and cyber forensic support under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). Across the replies, the MHA presented a detailed account of the measures taken to counter the exponential rise in cyber-enabled crime. A critical part of this defence architecture is the Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre (CFMC), where representatives of major banks, payment aggregators, telecom companies and law enforcement agencies work together in real time to prevent fraudulent transactions. The Ministry also disclosed that “more than 11.14 lakh SIM cards and 2.96 lakh IMEIs” linked to cybercrime have been blocked, while the I4C’s newly created Suspect Registry now contains “18.43 lakh suspect identifier data” shared with financial institutions, enabling the prevention of ₹8,031.56 crore worth of fraudulent transactions. Significant enforcement and investigative enhancements were also highlighted. The Centre has expanded National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (NCFL) capabilities, establishing new facilities in New Delhi (2019) and Assam (2025). It revealed that the NCFL in Delhi alone has assisted in “around 12,952 cases” of cyber investigations. The Ministry also reported substantial operational successes through the Samanvaya cyber analytics platform, which has facilitated “16,840 arrests” and responded to “1,05,129 cyber investigation assistance requests.” The Government has simultaneously launched one of the largest public awareness campaigns in the country’s cyber-safety history. Following a spike in “digital arrest” scams in 2024, the Prime Minister addressed the issue during his Mann Ki Baat broadcast on 27 October 2024, prompting a national multimedia campaign. MHA told the Lok Sabha that the initiative includes caller-tune advisories in 12 languages, metro announcements, nationwide radio and TV campaigns, social media messaging, and cyber-safety events at major gatherings including Kumbh Mela 2025 and Surajkund Mela 2025. It added that a 52-week cyber-awareness series is running in partnership with DD News, alongside digital safety displays at airports, schools, and cinema halls. The Ministry stressed that cybercrime and online financial fraud have evolved into complex, cross-border threats requiring integrated responses from States, central agencies and private sector entities. It warned Parliament that “the rapid increase in cyber fraud cases requires seamless coordination across States/UTs, central agencies, banks, telecom providers and digital platforms”, and emphasised that the Centre will continue to expand analytics, forensic capacity and public awareness to counter the rising menace.