Maharashtra Cyber Receives Up To 10,000 Complaints Daily, Freezes Over ₹1,600 Crore Linked To Online Fraud Since October 2024

Mumbai: Every day, the Maharashtra Cyber Department receives 8,000 to 10,000 complaints. Since October 2024, it has frozen more than Rs 1,600 crore lost by people to online fraud. However, this amount accounts for only around 30% of the estimated Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 7,000 crore lost to online fraud during the period, said IPS officer Ajay Kumar Bansal, Superintendent of Police, Maharashtra Cyber Department.

Visit newsbetsport.bond for more information.

Cybercrime Trends Discussed At Webinar

Bansal was speaking at an online public webinar titled “Psychology of the Cyber Trap”, organised by the Chamber of Tax Consultants on Saturday.

He said that, compared with last year, the amount lost by people to online fraud has decreased by 10% to 15% so far this year. This is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that losses have decreased, whereas the amount had increased every year over the past few years. Investment fraud and sextortion are among the leading types of cybercrime in which people lose money, he added.

Online Harassment Cases Receive Attention

The Maharashtra Cyber Department has also helped save 237 young girls and children from online crimes, including harassment, sextortion and cyberbullying, since October 2024. Bansal said the department intercepted social media messages posted by children expressing suicidal thoughts because of online harassment. He added that the department answers every call it receives, maintaining a 100% call pick-up rate.

Referring to what he described as India's largest digital arrest fraud, involving Rs 58.13 crore, Bansal said a retired banker had lost money in the scam. The case was handled by the Maharashtra Cyber Police, who managed to recover the entire amount, he said. The case received appreciation from across the country, Bansal added.

Fear And Authority Exploited By Scammers

Explaining the psychological factors that scammers exploit, Bansal identified authority, fear, urgency, greed, trust, love and secrecy as the key reasons people fall into their traps.

He said people tend to trust individuals displaying official logos or wearing uniforms. Fear of arrest and social embarrassment can also make victims comply with scammers' demands. When fraudsters or transactions impose strict deadlines, such as 30 seconds, victims may act hastily without verifying the information. Greed, particularly the promise of doubling one's money, is another factor. Similarly, people may lower their guard when someone speaks to them in a friendly manner. Bansal said victims also tend to conceal such incidents from family members, allowing the fraud to continue.

Panic And Overconfidence Increase Vulnerability

He explained that even intelligent people could fall victim to cyber fraud because of several psychological factors. These include panic triggered by false reports of accidents or deaths involving loved ones; unquestioning compliance with people posing as officials; overconfidence, based on the belief that such fraud would never happen to them; the sunk-cost fallacy, in which victims continue paying because they have already invested money; and shame and isolation. A barrage of calls and messages can also leave victims with little time to verify the claims made by fraudsters.

In a recent case, the West Cyber Police detected a gas-bill fraud and arrested six individuals from Bihar and Delhi. The investigation revealed that the accused had allegedly accumulated Rs 43.25 crore through the scam, defrauding more than 3,000 people.

Six Accused Arrested From Bihar And Delhi

In another case, the Maharashtra Cyber Department found that fraudsters had obtained data from an official site, including details of candidates who had failed their MBBS examinations. The accused allegedly contacted these students and offered to sell them certificates. The students who allegedly purchased the certificates were also arrested, Bansal said.

In another digital arrest case, a 74-year-old woman was allegedly duped into transferring more than Rs 3 crore to over 1,000 bank accounts within a few days. She broke her fixed deposits (FDs) to transfer the money. A bank official became suspicious and alerted the police. However, when the real police reached her residence, the woman was frightened, believing that they had come to arrest her. The police managed to save only Rs 55.71 lakh, Bansal said.

Piramal Finance Allegedly Duped Of ₹4.03 Crore Through 147 Fraudulent Online Loan Applications; Ghatkopar Police Register FIR

Meanwhile, on August 15, 2026, the Maharashtra Cyber Department's systems came under more than 27 attacks. Bansal said the department detected the attacks in real time and arrested the accused this week. The accused is a college student with a hacker's mindset, he said.

Bansal said the Maharashtra Cyber Department was among the first to recognise the growing threat posed by cybercrime and establish a dedicated cyber cell in 2016, before the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) was established.

CA Apurva Shah, CA Mehul Sheth, CA Divya Momaya, CS Raj Kapadia and Advocate Parth Patani also addressed the webinar.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/

Read full story at source