Between May 1, 2021, and July 13, 2025, reported cases of phishing, OTP frauds, job scams, fake customer care traps and social media impersonation led to residents losing a total of Rs 1,054 crore.
Residents of Madhya Pradesh have lost a whopping Rs 1,054 crore to cyber frauds in the past four years, but state police have been able to recover less than 0.2 per cent, underlining the gap between the alarming rise in cybercrimes and the state’s capabilities to prevent them and crack down on those involved.
Between May 1, 2021, and July 13, 2025, reported cases of phishing, OTP frauds, job scams, fake customer care traps and social media impersonation led to residents losing a total of Rs 1,054 crore. Police action in these cases managed to recover just Rs 1.94 crore — 0.18 per cent of the total stolen amount.
The shocking revelation came to light in the state home department’s response to Congress MLA Jaivardhan Singh’s question in the Assembly. Slamming the state government’s failure to check such frauds, the MLA said the current situation is a “cyber emergency”. “The Prime Minister urges people to go digital, but the state cannot even retrieve one percent of what was stolen,” he said.
A deep dive reveals numbers pointing to a systemic breakdown. During this period, a sum of Rs 105 crore was frozen in suspect accounts, but only a fraction of this could be recovered.
A total of 1,193 FIRs related to cyber frauds have been registered in the state since 2020, but charge sheets have been filed in only 585 cases. The remaining are pending, under investigation, or dismissed.
Social media misuse has also emerged as the biggest avenue of digital crime, accounting for 37 per cent to 53 per cent of all cybercrime cases in the last four years. In 2022, out of 1,021 cybercrime cases, 542 involved social media abuse. The trend continued in 2023 with 428 of 927 cases and in 2024 with 396 of 1,082 cybercrime cases. In 2025 so far, 242 out of 511 cases are linked to cyberbullying, sextortion, impersonation and blackmail through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Do’s (What You Should Do)
- Verify Platforms Before Investing
- Check if the trading/investment platform is SEBI-registered or officially licensed.
- Look for reviews, regulatory approval, and warnings on RBI/SEBI websites.
- Start Small & Test Withdrawals
- Always begin with a small amount.
- Try withdrawing early—if you can’t withdraw, stop immediately.
- Keep Records
- Save every transaction slip, chat, and email. These are evidence in case of fraud.
- Use Official Communication Only
- Deal directly through verified apps/websites, not WhatsApp groups or unknown links.
- Report Suspicious Activity Quickly
- If you sense fraud, report to the Cyber Crime Helpline (1930 in India) or cybercrime.gov.in immediately.
Don’ts (What You Should Avoid)
- Don’t Trust WhatsApp/Telegram Trading Groups
- Fraudsters use fake screenshots and fake profits to lure victims.
- Don’t Transfer to Multiple Unknown Accounts
- Splitting payments into random accounts is a classic scam method (mule accounts).
- Don’t Believe “Guaranteed” High Returns
- Genuine investments always carry risk. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
- Don’t Share OTPs, Banking Details, or Screenshots
- Fraudsters may misuse them to empty your accounts.
- Don’t Delay Reporting
- The longer you wait, the harder it becomes for authorities to trace and freeze funds.
Final Thought on Online Trading & Betting Frauds
Fraudsters prey on greed, trust, and urgency. They create illusions of profit to lure victims into transferring money, often making it look real until it’s too late.
The strongest defense is simple: Pause. Verify. Protect.
- Pause before clicking on links or investing.
- Verify the platform, license, and withdrawal process.
- Protect yourself by reporting suspicious activity early.
Awareness is your most powerful shield.
With CyberSathhi.com as your digital safety companion, stay informed, stay cautious, and stay one step ahead of cybercriminals.