Bengaluru | December 2025: Once celebrated as India’s technology capital, Bengaluru is now grappling with a sweeping cyber-fraud crisis. Recent data shows that over the last 45 months, the city has recorded 53,252 cases of cybercrime and allegedly lost a staggering ₹4,341 crore.
However, recovery remains minimal: only about ₹334 crore has been returned to victims, which is less than 10% of the total amount lost. Experts and law-enforcement sources warn the true figures could be much higher, as many victims hesitate to file complaints for fear of stigma or believing recovery is unlikely.
What’s Driving the Surge — Fake Investments, OTP Frauds, and UPI Scams
Bengaluru’s eight dedicated cybercrime police stations reportedly receive more than 10 new complaints every day. The nature of these complaints shows a worrying pattern:
- Fake online investment or trading platforms promising high returns.
- Impersonation calls claiming to be banking officials seeking KYC updates / OTPs / PINs.
- UPI-based scams and OTP thefts.
“Digital arrest” scams, where callers threaten victims with legal or financial consequences unless they pay immediately. Criminals are employing increasingly sophisticated methods — mixing pressure tactics with apparently legitimate messages — to coerce victims into quick, irreversible transactions.
2024: The Year the Damage Exploded
A look at recent year-wise data reveals a disturbing trend:
| Year | Cases Registered | Reported Loss (₹ Crore) | Amount Returned (₹ Crore) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 9,902 | 281 | 51 |
| 2023 | 17,797 | 680 | 88 |
| 2024 | 17,692 | 1,995 | 156 |
| 2025* | 7,961 (so far) | 1,385 | 39 |
| Total | 53,252 | 4,341 | 334 |
*Figures for 2025 are provisional.
Though the number of reported cases in 2024 was nearly the same as 2023, the financial damage almost tripled, suggesting that fraudsters increasingly targeted higher-value victims or carried out high-stakes schemes.
Why Recovery Rate is So Low
Law-enforcement and forensic officers point to multiple reasons why stolen money rarely comes back:
- Fraud networks often operate through foreign servers, VPNs, and anonymised IPs.
- Bank accounts used for fraud are sometimes opened with stolen or fraudulently obtained identity documents.
Once a scam is reported, the money has often been swiftly moved across dozens of accounts in minutes, making tracing difficult. One senior officer noted,
“Even in a tech-savvy city like Bengaluru, the speed and complexity of these operations are overwhelming our capacity to respond.”
In many cases, by the time a complaint is lodged, the digital trail has already grown cold.
Cyber Police Capacity Versus Overwhelming Scale
Even though Bengaluru maintains eight cyber-crime police stations, enforcement resources remain stretched. Challenges cited by law-enforcement include:
- Limited technical and forensic infrastructure
- Shortage of trained cyber-crime investigators
- Overburdened judicial processes delaying redress
Police urge victims to report fraud without delay, pointing out that early filings increase chances of recovery before funds vanish.
Public Awareness Remains the First Line of Defence
To tackle the deluge of frauds, authorities and cyber-security experts emphasise public vigilance. Key advice includes:
- Never share OTP, UPI PIN, CVV, or full banking details over calls or messages.
- Do not click on suspicious links or unverified investment or trading apps.
- Treat high-return promises and urgent “KYC/credit card” calls with extreme suspicion.
- Report suspicious calls or transactions immediately via the national cyber-crime helpline: 1930.
Awareness and caution, experts argue, are the only sustainable defence — especially since even the best enforcement mechanisms are often reactive.
Digital Progress, Digital Perils
Bengaluru’s transformation into a global IT-hub has brought many benefits. But this transformation now comes with a grave downside a rapidly growing digital crime infrastructure that threatens livelihoods and financial security.
As scams grow in sophistication and scale, experts warn that without stronger regulation, better cyber-crime infrastructure and widespread public awareness, Bengaluru’s cyber-crime crisis may worsen.
In a city built on digital promise, cyber-fraud has emerged as a clear and present danger.
