Digital minefield: How your bank account can be frozen, thanks to cyber criminals

A farmer from Telangana, a central government employee posted in Calcutta and a woman rider for a ride-sharing app in Calcutta have nothing in common, except that they have all been victims of cyber fraud – not because money has been defrauded from them, but because money defrauded from others has landed in their accounts.

In the 50-plus months between April 2021 and November 2025, cyber criminals emptied Rs 52,969 crore from bank accounts across India. On average 7,000 to 7,700 complaints of cyber-enabled financial crimes are reported daily with the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal in India.