Elderly citizens in Andhra Pradesh are increasingly falling prey to cybercriminals, with police data revealing that senior citizens constitute 10% of all cybercrime victims in several cities, including Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, and Kurnool.
According to police, senior citizens’ trusting nature, limited digital literacy, loneliness, financial stability, and lack of immediate family support make them vulnerable to cyber scams. Many elderly victims do not report such crimes due to shame, fear, or lack of awareness, and some suffer from severe emotional distress afterwards.
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High-Value Cyber Frauds Targeting the Elderly
In what is considered one of the largest reported individual cyber financial frauds in Vizag city, a 64-year-old man lost ₹5.25 crore after being lured into an investment scam through WhatsApp messages sent by fraudsters posing as a known trading company. The victim, added to a WhatsApp group, transferred funds to multiple accounts, believing he would receive high returns.
Another 62-year-old from Vizag lost ₹36 lakh after cybercriminals impersonating Delhi police officers coerced him via WhatsApp video calls. The fraudsters falsely accused him of money laundering and pressured him into transferring his savings.
Similarly, a 65-year-old retired teacher from Vijayawada fell victim to a “digital arrest” scam and lost over ₹31 lakh. Fraudsters used his Aadhaar card information to falsely accuse him of involvement in human trafficking and threatened arrest, impersonating officials from TRAI and the police.
Experts Warn of Growing Threat
Police officials stress the urgent need to spread awareness about digital scams targeting the elderly, particularly “digital arrest” and investment frauds. K. Bhavani Prasad, Inspector of the Cybercrime Police Station, noted that senior citizens’ limited knowledge of safe websites and online threats is being exploited to create fear, confusion, and urgency.
Authorities are conducting awareness drives to educate seniors about malicious websites, fraudulent calls, and the dangers of sharing personal or financial information online. The lack of immediate support from family members living in other cities further increases seniors’ vulnerability to such scams, with fraudsters manipulating their trust and emotional triggers to inflict financial and psychological harm.
