💻 Rs 938 Crore Lost to Cybercrooks in Karnataka (Jan–May 2025): A Digital Crisis

Rising Tide of AI-Powered Cybercrime

From January to May 2025, cybercriminals in Karnataka made away with a staggering ₹938 crore, with over 6,000 cases registered. This surge marks a sharp leap from ₹113 crore in 2022 and ₹562 crore in 2023, signaling a rapid uptick in both scale and sophistication .

The “State of AI‑Powered Cybercrime: Threat & Mitigation Report‑2025” (GIREM & Tekion) reveals:

• AI tools were involved in 80% of phishing campaigns—effectively 8 out of .Criminals use AI to craft hyper‑personalized phishing emails, clone websites, and spin up deepfake-driven scams swiftly and at scale.

Human Impact: More Than Just Numbers

Tekion’s CEO Jay Vijayan calls this a “wake‑up call,” emphasizing not the financial losses alone but also the deep human toll of cyber fraud.

Senior citizens are often the most vulnerable victims.

---

📉 Why Recovery Rates Still Lag

• Past trends show only 10–15% of stolen funds ever get recovered.

• Earlier Karnataka figures:

  • 2023: ₹470 crore lost, ₹27 crore recovered (~6%) 

  • 2024 (Jan–Aug): ₹1,242 crore lost, ₹112 crore recovered (~9%) 

• Sophisticated laundering networks—using hundreds of mule accounts and rapid fund transfers—severely hinder tracing and recovery.

---

🧓 Real‑World Cases that Shocked Us

• A 77‑year‑old retired engineer and his wife were held under “digital arrest” for 58 days in JP Nagar, Bengaluru, and extorted of ₹4.8 crore by imposters posing as investigators.

• A 52‑year‑old woman entrepreneur in Bengaluru lost ₹2.7 crore in an online YouTube-like investment scam — but, thanks to swift police action, ₹1.7 crore was frozen and returned.

---

🚨 What You Can Do: Cyber-Safety Toolkit

1. Stay alert

   • Don’t click unknown links or respond to unsolicited messages.

   • Never share OTPs, passwords, or personal data.

2. Spread awareness, especially among elders

   • Explain how tech works behind the scenes—understanding OTPs can be a powerful deterrent.

3. Act fast

   • Report any suspicious activity immediately—ideally within an hour.

   • This urgency helped some victims recover a significant portion of their funds .

4. Build better defenses

   • Use updated antivirus, secure browsers, and avoid public Wi‑Fi for banking.

   • Educate yourself on emerging threats like deepfakes and AI‑enhanced scams.

5. Strengthen law enforcement

   • More cybercrime desks, trained personnel, and fast-tracked investigations are essential.

   • Mandated cybercrime reporting (FIRs) across police stations is a good step forward.

✅ Final Take

The ₹938 crore lost in just five months is a glaring reminder: AI-powered cybercrime isn't the future—it’s here. As criminals deploy increasingly sophisticated tools, our response must be equally smart—through awareness, rapid reporting, robust tech, and stronger law enforcement.

---

Call to Action:

• Share this post with your community—especially with seniors and non-tech-savvy people.

• Include clear steps for what to do if they suspect cyber fraud (who to contact, what info to preserve).

Let’s make digital safety a shared responsibility.

reff:- timesofindia.indiatimes

tags:- 

#ShefaliJariwala

#संत_और_परमात्माका_अद्भुतमिलन

#winPOCOF73

#SquidGame3

#RathYatra2025

Aashiyana#SelflessServices