In 2023, India saw a sharp rise in cybercrime, with over 1.56 million cases reported on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), averaging 129 cases per lakh of the population. Real Research, an online survey app, revealed that 66.80% of the respondents were aware of this.

Highlights:

  •  66.18% see timely intervention methods like helplines and reporting systems as effective against the impact of cybercrimes in India.
  • 62.20% of the respondents were aware of the billions India lost from cybercrimes.
  • 59.18% Satisfied with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre’s Fund Blocking

Cybercrimes in India

In 2022, the NCRP recorded a 113.7% surge in reported cybercrime cases in India, reaching 9.66 lakh from 4.52 lakh in 2021. 66.14% of respondents perceive this slowdown as an enhancement in India’s cybersecurity measures.

improvement-in-Indias-cyber-security-measures
Figure 1: Reduction in growth rate signifies an improvement in India’s cyber security measures

Survey on Cybercrimes Costing Indians Billions

A survey on cybercrimes costing Indians billions was conducted. A report revealed that cybercriminals in India have siphoned off more than Rs 10,300 crore (Rs 103 billion) between  April 2021 and December 2023, with Rs 7,488,6 crore (Rs 74,866 billion) lost in 2023 alone.  62.20% of the respondents were aware of this.

Moreover, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (14C) director, Rajesh Kumar, noted successfully blocking around Rs 1,127 crore (Rs 11.27 billion) from 2021 to 2023, comprising 9-10% of the total defrauded sum. 59.18% are satisfied with the percentage of the blocked funds.

Cyberfraud Incidents Rising in India

Kumar mentioned that the CFCFRMS and the 1930 helpline have assisted 430,000 victims to date. 66.18% believe that timely intervention mechanisms such as helplines and reporting systems are effective in mitigating the impact of cybercrimes.

reduce-cybercrimes-in-India
Figure 2: Do helplines and reporting systems effectively reduce cybercrimes in India?

Different Types of Cybercrimes in India

Our survey showed that ransomware attacks (18.38%), romance scams (16.96%), customer care, refund-based, and KYC expiry frauds (10.58%) are the cybercrimes perceived to be the most concerning or impactful in India.

Types-of-cybercrimes
Figure 3: Types of cybercrimes perceived to be the most impactful in India

Methodology

 
Survey TitleSurvey on Cybercrime Costing Indians Billions
DurationMarch 23 – March 30, 2024
Number of Participants5,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia,… Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.