Online Scams Targeting Indians in 2026

India is among the fastest-growing digital economies in the world, with over 300 million UPI users, 500 million WhatsApp users, and rapidly expanding digital banking. Unfortunately, this digital growth has been matched by an equally rapid rise in online fraud. According to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), cyber fraud complaints grew by over 113% between 2022 and 2024, with losses exceeding Rs 22,845 crore in 2024 alone.

The most common fraud types targeting Indians include phishing SMS and emails impersonating banks, UPI payment scams exploiting collect requests and QR codes, digital arrest scams where fraudsters impersonate police or CBI officers on video calls, OTP theft through social engineering, and fake job offers demanding upfront fees. WhatsApp has become the primary channel for investment group scams, lottery frauds, and impersonation attacks.

What makes these scams dangerous is their sophistication. Modern scammers use caller ID spoofing, fake government letterheads, professional-looking websites, and AI-generated content to appear legitimate. They exploit urgency, fear, and greed — the three emotions that override critical thinking.

This scam database is built to help Indians identify fraud messages before they become victims. Each scam type page includes real message examples, specific red flags, step-by-step action guides, and explanations of how Savdhaan AI's free scam scanner uses AI and 6+ threat intelligence sources to detect each fraud type automatically.