India is facing a significant surge in cyber fraud originating from Southeast Asian countries, according to recent data. With nearly half of the total defrauded money being traced back to cybercrimes such as investment, trading, digital arrest, and dating scams, the threat has outpaced domestic hotspots like Jamtara and Mewat, a TOI report stated.

Over 85,000 scams in just four months this year

Between January and April this year, India saw Rs 1,420 crore lost to 62,587 investment scams, Rs 222 crore to 20,043 trading scams, Rs 120 crore to 4,600 digital arrest scams, and Rs 13 crore to 1,725 dating scams, all originating from Southeast Asia, as per the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). In 2023, over 1 lakh investment scams and 10,000 FIRs related to these cybercrimes were reported on the national cybercrime portal.

Organized crime networks

Rajesh Kumar, CEO of I4C, told TOI that these scams are orchestrated by organized crime syndicates operating from countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, and Lao PDR. These groups employ Indian job seekers through illegal recruitment agents and force them to target fellow Indians. Kumar noted, “These gangs work in an organized manner, from scam compounds…many of them were linked to casinos earlier.”

There are indications of Chinese involvement in these scams, with Chinese individuals reportedly working in these compounds and some of the apps used for fraud written in Chinese.

Efforts to combat cybercrime

Amidst a rise in high-value frauds, with over 6 lakh complaints amounting to Rs 7,061 crore filed this year, I4C has managed to prevent Rs 812.7 crore from being defrauded. Collaboration with law enforcement agencies has led to the freezing of 3.2 lakh mule accounts, blocking over 3,000 URLs and 595 apps, and suspending 5.3 lakh SIM cards and 80,000 IMEI numbers since July 2023. Additionally, 3,401 instances of unlawful content have been removed from various online platforms in the last two months.

Recruitment and exploitation of Indians

Indians lured to Southeast Asia with false job promises are forced to execute these scams. Illegal recruiters, particularly from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Delhi, have been sending these individuals to cybercrime hubs. In May, Visakhapatnam cybercrime police arrested three agents involved in such activities, with similar arrests in Odisha. The Indian embassy in Phnom Penh has been actively working to repatriate Indian victims, with around 360 individuals already returned and another 60 expected soon.

Government forms panel

In response to the rising threat, the Indian government has formed an inter-ministerial committee to address the surge in transnational cybercrimes targeting Indians. This committee includes various law enforcement and intelligence agencies, reflecting a concerted effort to tackle this growing menace.