Cyber fraudsters have successfully cheated almost the residents of Delhi ₹1000 crore so far this year. Investment scams, digital arrests and “boss scams” emerged as the most prevalent and high-value cyber crimes, according to official Delhi Police data.
According to the Delhi Police, these three types of fraud dominated the city’s criminal landscape in 2025. Crucially, the police made significant strides in asset recovery this year; in cooperation with banks, they managed to hold almost 20% of fraudulent funds, which is almost double the 10% recovered in 2024. This represents a significant improvement in reducing victim losses.
In 2024, victims in the nation’s capital collectively lost approx ₹1,100 crore, highlighting the ongoing and growing scale of the problem. Funds that are successfully suspended in the banking system can later be returned to the victim once a court orders their release.
Investment fraud: These scams often involve scammers posing as women on social media platforms to lure victims into online groups. They promise lucrative returns and build confidence by showing false profits from small initial investments. Once credibility is established, they convince victims to invest much larger sums, often in the order of millions or millions of crowns.
Digital arrest: This sophisticated scam relies on fear and intimidation to extort money. Fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials, call victims and pretend to be from the police, CBI or courier agencies. They falsely claim that the victim’s bank account or package is connected to serious crimes such as terrorism, money laundering or cybercrime. Using fake numbers, fake documents and edited videos, they force victims to transfer money as a supposed “fine” or “advance”.
Boss cheat: A “boss scam” is a corporate-focused scam where criminals impersonate company executives. Fraudsters carry out this scheme by creating a social media profile with a photo of a senior official and then sending urgent messages or fraudulent payment requests directly to company employees, primarily targeting the finance department.
“We urge people to immediately report cyber crimes on the helpline number 1930. Once the victim reports the crime and provides details of the transaction, we will start the process of flagging the lien to detain the fraudulent funds,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations) Vinit Kumar told PTI.
He said 24 dedicated helplines are operational 24/7 to help victims register complaints and resolve queries related to cyber crime.
“These fraudsters often operate from Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, where large-scale ‘underwater compounds’ run by Chinese manipulators target people around the world,” the DCP added.
