Registered crime data understates the scale of cyber fraud. Suggest measures to improve reporting and victim redressal.

NCRB recorded 1,01,928 cybercrime cases in 2024, up 17.9%, while overall registered crime fell 6% [1]. These figures count only registered cases, and fraud is chronically under-reported [1]. Closing this gap needs reform at two points: when fraud is reported and when victims seek their money back.

Why registered data understates cyber fraud

• Many attempts, few FIRs: In the Lokniti–CSDS–Common Cause survey of 8,306 citizens in 16 States, 33% said they often get fake delivery calls and 31% said they get investment scam calls [1].
• Reporting bias: Wealthier and more educated people were more likely to report being victims [1]. Small losses among other groups often go unrecorded.
• Hidden mule victims: People who rent out their bank accounts can themselves face arrest [5]. They are not counted as victims.

Measures to improve reporting

• Official victimisation survey: NCRB and MHA could run a regular survey to capture the unreported losses that FIRs miss [1].
• One reporting window: Promote the 1930 helpline and cybercrime.gov.in in regional languages [2][4]. Complaints could be converted to e-FIRs automatically.
• Targeted awareness: Reach heavy internet users and educated investors, not only the elderly [1].
• Institutional reporting: Banks already share suspect identifiers, over 21.65 lakh, with the Suspect Registry [4]. Payment apps and platforms should do the same.

Measures for victim redressal

• Freeze money in the "golden hour": CFCFRMS saved more than ₹8,690 crore across 24.65 lakh complaints [3]. The total reported loss should also be published so the recovery rate is known.
• Block fraud before it happens: The Suspect Registry stopped transactions worth ₹9,055.27 crore and shared 26.48 lakh Layer-1 mule accounts with banks [4]. It should cover all banks and payment apps.
• Time-bound refunds: Set a fixed deadline for returning frozen money, and make banks liable for their own lapses.
• Treat mule holders as a prevention target: Spread I4C's warning against renting out accounts [5] to the groups that fraud gangs recruit from.

Reforms must run as one chain: measure → report → freeze → restore. Combining survey data with the Suspect Registry and CFCFRMS can shift India from recovering money after fraud to preventing it. This would turn digital trust into equal access to justice, in line with SDG 16.