Cyber Scams In India: Shocking Cases And Safety Tips For 2025

Cyber Scams in India escalated in 2024 and we saw that cyber criminals were very innovative and dangerous. These included fake videos, fake trading apps, and landmark scams spanned across civilians and celebrities. This article focuses on some of the main scams in the year 2024 and how to protect yourself in 2025. Learn about all those scams which caught the major highlights in 2024, due to their extensive harm rates.

List Of Scams Occurred In 2024

Here is a detailed look at the major cyber scams that shook India in 2024, their impact, and how they unfolded:

1. What is a Deepfake Video Scam?

Deepfake video fraud is a form of fraud in which AI is utilised to produce fake videos or an audio clip that looks like the real figure or identity of another person mainly celebrities or an influencer.

Details:

In January 2024, there was a deepfake in which frauds imitated the famous cricket player, Sachin Tendulkar. One fake video was a fake advertisement for a game that doesn’t exist called “Skyward Aviator Quest”. Probably, the circulation of video on social networks shocked many of the fans into downloading the game. Tendulkar later explained the fraud and asked people not to fall for similar videos.

2. What Are Fake Courier Scams?

These include cases whereby the fraudsters pose as senior executives of a courier company to threaten the victims with fake parcels based on some accuse of getting some amount of money from the victims.

Details:

In February of 2024, the CEO of an IT based in Bengaluru received a call from a man pretending to be a FedEx staff. The scammer told the CEO that his account had been hacked and threatened him to pay ₹2.3 crore to get the problem fixed. This case is a reminder that people should never take unknown or unrecognised phone calls.

Also Read: Beware Of Task Completion Scams: A Costly Cyber Fraud

3. How Do Fake Investment Schemes Get to Work?

Fake investment schemes trap victims with promises of high returns, often using fake apps and websites to steal money.

Details:

Telangana resident, a private sector retired manager lost ₹13 crore in a scam in July 2024. Through a mobile application called WhatsApp, they approached him with a fake investment opportunity. And tricked him into making consecutive payments getting over all his cash.

4. What Is Cyber Blackmail?

Cyber blackmailers are those people who threaten victims and demand money from them based on exploiting this or that intimate information as well as faking legal threats.

Details:

On 14 August 2024, a 74-year-old man from Pune was duped at 97 lakhs. The scammers were impersonating policemen and tricked the victim into wiring money to avoid arrest. This scam shows how cybercriminals operate their belief systems to ensure people are overly compliant with their requests.

5. What Are Fake Trading Apps?

These apps and programs provide fake information that fraud user’s money through fake transactions.

Details:

In August 2024, an elderly man from Mumbai, an 89-year-old retired ship captain lost money to a fake trading app scam. He invested ₹11.16 crore in the scam that was conducted through a WhatsApp group. Some of the fraudsters kept on requesting “fees” on each withdrawal until the actual victim saw the trick in it.

Also Read: Instagram Impersonating Scam: All About The New Age Scam

6. How was the Fake Supreme Court Hearing Scam Done?

This scam involved fraudsters impersonating federal investigators and creating a mock Supreme Court hearing to intimidate victims.

Details:

S.P. Oswal, a Padma Bhushan awardee, was duped for ₹7 crore by fraudsters in August 2024. Scammers faked a court proceeding in an attempt to persuade him of the authenticity of their claims and forced him to pay the sum. This scam shows us how bad guys use fear and authority as their tools.

7. What is A Digital Arrest Scam?

This scam uses fake legal threats to force victims into transferring money, often claiming involvement in illegal activities.

Details:

A software engineer from Bengaluru lost ₹11.8 crore in 18 days in November 2024. The scammers pretended to be working for the government, threatening the victim of different unlawful actions. They even used threats of arrest to force targets to release money.

Some Useful Advice To Protect You From Cyber Scams.

Below are some important tips and useful advice to protect yourself from cyber scams, Always verify the authenticity of calls, messages, or emails. Avoid sharing personal or financial information online and report suspicious activity immediately.:-

• Verify Before Trusting: Never agree to any caller or email that claims to represent organisations without the need to affirm their identity. For validation, use the contact information published on the official organisation’s website.

• Beware of Deepfakes: Do not accept any video or audio clip relating to any celebrities without confirming their authenticity from popular sources.

• Avoid Quick Investment Offers: Always be careful of any promise elaborating and faking high rates of returns that are considerably higher than what is typical on the market. Please seek advice from a financial expert before investing.

• Report Cyber Blackmail: As soon as possible call the police or other security agencies in case of threats or blackmailing.

• Use Trusted Apps: Always download trading or transaction applications which are highly rated and widely recognised.

Where To Report Cyber And Online Scams?

If you encounter cyber fraud or online scams, you can report them through the following channels, which will eventually help you to seek justice and be made aware so that next time you will not fall for such traps.

• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal is a specialist website for reporting cybercrime. This site is operated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and enables users to report internet fraud, cybercrime and crimes against women and children. It offers an option to register complaints category-wise.

• Police Station: Go to the nearest police station with the affected person and report an FIR. Provide all information that may include screen capture images, recorded calls, or any transaction receipts of the scam.

• Cyber Crime Helpline Number: Anyone who experiences any form of financial cyber fraud should report it to 1930. This helpline is operational and can be used at any time of the day for support for victims of internet scams.

• Banks or Financial Institutions: If the case requires a banking transaction, you should contact your bank’s fraud department right away. Banks can assist you freeze your account or prevent transactions that you do not want to occur.

• One can also report cybercrime and online fraud through the Chakshu portal.

Also Read: Scams Se Bacho: Meta Launches Anti-Scam Awareness Drive

Conclusion

This kind of activity is a prime example of why everyone needs to be constantly on high alert regarding digital scams in 2025. That is why knowledge and carefulness are worth to avoid not only material but also moral damage. In the event of any activity that is fraudulent, please do not hesitate to contact the cybercrime help desk.

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