Investment Scam Alert: Over 30,000 Victims Lose ₹1,500+ Crore in Six Months — MHA Cyber Report Shocks Nation

New Delhi | Cyber & Finance Desk:
A startling report from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) — Cyber Division reveals that online investment scams in the past six months have devastated more than 30,000 Indians, causing financial losses exceeding ₹1,500 crore. The frauds — run by sophisticated cybercriminal networks — have targeted investors across major cities and employed a mix of popular messaging apps and lesser-known platforms to lure victims.

Hotspots and demographics:
The report names Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR and Hyderabad as the primary centres for these scams, accounting for roughly 65% of reported cases. Bengaluru alone accounts for 26.38% of the total monetary loss. Most victims belong to the 30–60 age group, representing over 76% of those affected — indicating that working professionals and mid-career earners are being specifically targeted. Senior citizens (60+) make up about 8.62% (≈2,829) of victims.

Scale of losses:
These are not small frauds. The average loss per victim is approximately ₹51.38 lakh, underlining the high value and sophistication of the investment schemes involved — ranging from fake trading platforms and Ponzi-style investments to cloned brokerages.

How scammers operate:
Cybercriminals primarily use WhatsApp and Telegram, which together account for about 20% of reported incidents, exploiting encrypted group features and ease of sharing. The report notes that LinkedIn and Twitter are rarely used (≈0.31%), while the largest share of schemes is being routed through “other” platforms (41.87%) — a category that includes nascent apps, private forums and hard-to-trace channels. This indicates continual adaptation by scammers to evade detection.

Officials’ advice:
Authorities and cyber experts urge investors to verify platform credentials, avoid clicking unsolicited links, never share banking or KYC details over chat, and promptly report suspicious activity to the national cybercrime portal. The MHA has also recommended increased monitoring of obscure platforms and closer cooperation with messaging services to curb the trend.