Cybercrime surges in Kenya, India, and Pakistan

Authorities in Kenya, India, and Pakistan are addressing various surges in cybercrime and digital fraud. In Kenya, the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4) reported that mobile money was involved in 51 of 102 computer fraud cases between February and July 2026. Mobile money fraud was the largest single scheme, accounting for 18.6% of cases, followed by investment and forex scams.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed cyber fraud cases and called for targeted awareness campaigns. He specifically emphasized the need to protect vulnerable groups, such as senior citizens and youth, from ‘digital arrest’ scams and other fraudulent online approaches.

In Pakistan, a sophisticated fraud targeting United Bank Limited (UBL) customers resulted in the loss of over Rs10 crore. The scheme involved the unauthorized use of confidential customer information by insiders to facilitate SIM swapping, allowing criminals to bypass security and transfer funds from multiple accounts.