India cyber fraud scams

In late July 2026, Indian authorities issued a cyber‑crime advisory warning taxpayers in Hyderabad about fake Income Tax refund schemes that use social‑media posts and impersonation of officials to harvest personal and banking details. The advisory stressed that genuine officials never request such information and urged the public to verify communications through official portals.

A week later, reports from early August detailed concrete cyber‑fraud incidents across the country. In Rajkot, a retired woman was duped by a fraudster posing as Zepto customer‑care, who sent a malicious app via WhatsApp and induced her to approve UPI transfers totalling ₹1.91 lakh. In Hyderabad, a businessman who had marketed a high‑return investment tied to a festival sweet was alleged to have defrauded roughly ₹3.45 crore before fleeing. Both cases were logged with the national cyber‑helpline and are under investigation by regional cyber‑crime units.

Together, the advisory and the subsequent fraud cases illustrate a widening pattern of digital scams in India, ranging from tax‑refund impersonations to app‑based UPI thefts and fraudulent investment schemes.