Cyber frauds from Southeast Asia cost Indians Rs 1,500 crore monthly: Government data
However, the data for 2025 marks a noticeable decline compared to 2024, when the monthly average stood at around ₹2,200 crore.
NEW DELHI: A data compiled by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has revealed that a majority of cyber frauds targeting Indian citizens are being operated from Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.
These frauds are primarily linked to organised networks allegedly managed by Chinese operators and have cost people in India up to ₹1,500 crore per month, sources said on Sunday.
According to I4C data for the first half of 2025 (January to June), India has suffered online financial losses amounting to approximately ₹8,500 crore. Alarmingly, more than half of these losses are tied to cybercrime operations based in Southeast Asian nations.
On average, the data revealed that monthly cyber fraud-related losses to Indians in 2025 range between ₹1,300 crore and ₹1,500 crore.
However, the data for 2025 marks a noticeable decline compared to 2024, when the monthly average stood at around ₹2,200 crore. Sources said this decline is attributed to improved surveillance, international cooperation, and public awareness campaigns by the I4C.
Sources also highlighted that many of these criminal operations are being run from secure facilities in countries like Cambodia and Myanmar. These locations often act as hubs for large-scale digital fraud, including phishing, online investment scams, and fake job offers, they added.
Meanwhile, a disturbing trend noted by the I4C is the involvement of Indian citizens, who are being coerced into cybercrime operations. Sources said many individuals are trafficked or lured abroad under false pretenses and then forced to work in call centers that target Indian users for online fraud.
The I4C continues to work with international agencies and local law enforcement to identify, track, and dismantle such networks. It has also been making public appeals for vigilance—urging people to avoid suspicious online schemes and to report cybercrimes through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.
