This year saw an evolution in the modus operandi of cybercrime where frauds were carried out within days and money siphoned off in multiple installments, preventing victims from reporting the crime during the golden hour.
Investigators said more new mods can be expected in the coming year as fraudsters find different ways to avoid detection.
The tactic of modernizing their modus operandi allows fraudsters to rob victims of larger sums and gain more time to add more layers of mule accounts, which police say hampers investigations and slows detection.
Home Minister G. Parameshwara recently told a meeting that the percentage of money recovery in cyber crime cases in Karnataka has come down to 6.2% from 12.6% last year (2024). In 2023, the recovery percentage was 20.2%, according to the data.
Prolonged crimes
Shivaling Salakki, program manager of the Government of Karnataka’s Cyber Security Center of Excellence (CySecK), noted that the state police should increase detection of long-standing crimes. He also pointed to a drop in cases this year, although the total amount of money lost was still in line with last year’s numbers.
According to the data, Karnataka recorded 22,255 cases of cyber crime in 2023 with losses of ₹873.29 crore. In 2024, the number increased to 22,478, with financial fraud amounting to ₹2,562 crore. By the end of November this year, 13,000 cases had been registered with losses of ₹2,038 crore.
The officer attributed the trend to the scale of losses in each case, which has increased significantly due to long-running crimes and new methods where the chances of detection and recovery are critically low. For example, credit card fraud involving cell phone delivery has seen a sudden increase in the first half of this year.
Fraudsters called potential victims and claimed that their profiles had been selected for a credit card and lured them with attractive offers. When unsuspecting victims agreed, the fraudsters sent compromised mobile phones saying they needed to register through the device itself.
One man, 47 cases
The CEN police in southeast Bengaluru investigated one such case and found a single man behind 47 incidents. “He hired three delivery men to do the work while operating from Surat. He used to send hacked mobile phones to the delivery men and instruct them where to deliver them,” an investigator told The Hindu.
When the victim receives a mobile phone and inserts their SIM card, the fraudster immediately takes control of the device, disables Gmail passwords and disables all notifications from banks. Through multiple transactions, he would drain victims’ bank accounts without the victim’s knowledge.
A senior officer warned that with the New Year approaching, such modus operandi is likely to spread again in the name of attractive offers.
The golden hour
An officer from the Cyber Crime Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department claimed that while long-running scams like investment scams have become common and cost victims millions of rupees, OTP-related scams remain relevant, especially those targeting senior citizens. If such “instant” frauds are reported early, the chances of recovery are much higher.
For example, the Bengal Central Police CEN successfully recovered the entire amount lost by a senior citizen due to credit card fraud last month. A 70-year-old man from Vyalikaval received a call from an unknown person claiming to be an official of a private bank. The caller convinced the senior citizen that his credit card needed to be updated and obtained a series of OTPs. Using them, the fraudster siphoned off ₹1.90 crore. The senior quickly realized the scam and immediately called the helpline number 1930.
Akshay Hakay Machhindra, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central, told The Hindu that quick communication with the banks helped freeze the account to which the money was transferred. “Within a week, we were able to recover the amount and the victim got back the entire amount he lost,” Mr Machhindra said.
Published – 20 Dec 2025 21:05 IST
