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| ‘Digital Dacoity’ | | | Recently a top officer of J&K Government revealed that India has lost staggering Rs 54,000 crore to cyber fraud and it amounts to “digital dacoity.”
The cyber fraud has emerged as a grave threat, with criminals exploiting digital platforms and advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to target unsuspecting citizens.
Termed aptly as “digital dacoity,” this new-age crime has quietly infiltrated homes, drained life savings, and shaken public confidence in the digital ecosystem that India has worked so hard to build.
In 2025 the country lost nearly Rs 20,000 crore to online fraud, affecting families, elderly citizens and students. Fraudsters keep on changing their modus of operandi every now and then.
One day it is a fraudulent banking link, the next it is a fake job offer, an investment scam, or a threatening call from someone posing as a law enforcement official. Fear, greed, and urgency remain their most potent weapons. By intimidating victims with fabricated legal threats or luring them with promises of quick profits, criminals manipulate emotions to override caution.
Fraudsters are now using AI tools to clone voices and create convincing fake audio and video messages, making scams more sophisticated and harder to detect. Such incidents are no longer rare and are being reported with increasing frequency.
During the past few years the government has taken many steps to create awareness among the people about how to protect themselves from the online frauds.
To its credit, the government has taken significant steps to raise awareness and strengthen cyber security infrastructure. Helplines, cybercrime portals, public awareness campaigns, and coordination between financial institutions and law enforcement agencies have improved response mechanisms. Many citizens today are aware that fraudsters are on the prowl. Yet awareness alone is not proving sufficient. Despite repeated advisories, people continue to fall prey.
The fight against cyber fraud must therefore move beyond generic warnings. It demands a multi-pronged approach.
First, digital literacy must become a sustained mission, integrated into school curricula and community outreach programmes. Second, banks and fintech companies must deploy advanced AI-driven fraud detection systems that can flag suspicious transactions in real time.
Third, swift investigation and exemplary punishment for cyber criminals are essential to create deterrence.
To safeguard the country’s digital future and protect its citizens, cyber security must be treated as a national priority.
The battle is no longer at physical borders—it is in the invisible realm of cyberspace. And it must be won. |
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