Tamil Nadu suffers Rs 1,116 crore in losses from cyber scams in 9 months

Cyber financial frauds in Tamil Nadu have led to whopping losses of Rs 1,116 crore from January to September 2024, revealed the state’s cybercrime police. This concerning figure underscores the rising danger of cybercrime in the area and stresses the critical importance of raising awareness and swiftly reporting incidents.

The cybercrime wing has made considerable progress in minimizing these losses, successfully freezing Rs 526 crore using both automated systems and manual interventions. In addition, the officials have retrieved Rs 48 crore, which has been returned to the victims of these frauds.

According to the officials, the statistics are a part of a broader trend, as the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal recorded a total of 91,161 complaints during this period.

The cybercrime wing, as per reports, has identified different types of financial fraud, including phishing, KYC (Know Your Customer) fraud, and digital arrests. They emphasised the importance of early reporting, highlighting that quick action can substantially increase the probabilities of recovering lost funds.

A Tamil Nadu cybercrime wing official advised victims to report incidents as soon as they happen, cautioning, “There may not be any result when the complaint is too old.”

The police, in order to facilitate reporting, encourage citizens to register their complaints through the official cybercrime government portal at [www.cybercrime.gov.in](http://www.cybercrime.gov.in) or by calling the helpline number 1930.

Meanwhile, the state’s Madurai rural district cybercrime police have arrested three men in Puducherry on charges engaging in various online frauds. The police received a complaint on June 28.

The complainant reportedly stated that he had been swindled of Rs 1.3 crore by online scamsters on the pretext of offering a part-time job. On the instructions of Madurai district superintendent of police B K Arvind, a police team was formed to probe the case.

The police said on tracing the bank accounts to which money was sent and on further investigation, it was found that three people were behind the fraud by operating an Indusind Bank account. The trio were identified as K Vadivelu, 44, and E Jairam, 30, of Puducherry and K Ramalingam, 48, of Villupuram.