New Delhi: Amid the bustling streets of India’s capital, danger no longer lurks only in shadowy corners—it now thrives behind the glow of smartphone screens and the deceptive comfort of everyday text messages. Cybercriminals are relentlessly zeroing in on Delhi’s residents, cutting across all age brackets, occupations, and localities.
Elderly pensioners are tricked into surrendering their one-time passwords to fraudsters impersonating bank representatives; harried traders fall prey to convincingly crafted yet entirely bogus payment confirmations; and digitally savvy youngsters are persuaded to invest their money in sophisticated-looking online platforms that disappear without a trace. The tactics may vary widely, but the end result is always the same—hard-earned savings drained in an instant, with little hope of recovery.
From 2014 to June 30, 2025, these online scams have siphoned away an astounding Rs 1,487.37 crore from the city’s residents, according to official figures presented in Parliament earlier this week. Of this, the year 2024 alone accounted for a record-breaking Rs 817.65 crore in losses—the highest annual total ever—as per Delhi Police statistics shared by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai.
The escalation has been dramatic: in 2014, reported losses stood at just Rs 2.63 crore, but by 2021 they had risen to Rs 91.04 crore, then to Rs 231.23 crore in 2022, and Rs 183.56 crore in 2023 before soaring in 2024. The current year is also shaping up poorly, with more than Rs 70 crore lost to cyber fraud in only the first half of 2025.
Officials attribute the sharp rise in such crimes to the rapid and relentless evolution of online fraud tactics. What once started as clumsy phishing emails peppered with grammatical mistakes has morphed into intricate, precision-targeted schemes that convincingly impersonate trusted companies and financial institutions. Modern cybercriminals tap into every facet of the digital ecosystem — from UPI payment gateways and mobile wallet apps to internet banking services and popular social media platforms — setting up traps that even seasoned internet users may struggle to spot. Their arsenal includes counterfeit websites, fake customer service numbers, AI-generated deepfake videos, and malicious links embedded in messages, enabling them to strike in seconds before the victim becomes aware of the deception.
“These methods have grown far more advanced, are executed with alarming speed, and appear increasingly authentic,” said a senior officer from Delhi Police’s cybercrime division, adding that many scams now blend psychological manipulation with state-of-the-art technology to inflict maximum damage.
To counter the menace, the central government has introduced measures such as the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), a national portal for reporting incidents, and a quick-response framework to freeze suspicious transactions. For its part, Delhi Police has strengthened its capabilities by establishing a cyber police station in each of the capital’s 15 districts and launching dedicated help desks for women who fall victim to online offenses.
Yet, specialists caution that technology-driven solutions alone will not halt the losses. They emphasize that heightened public awareness, alertness at all times, and prompt reporting of incidents remain the most reliable defences against the city’s growing cybercrime threat.
