Cyber-crime in India: India has emerged as one of the nations primarily being targeted for global cyber-crime, finishing second only to the United States, social giant Meta recently revealed in its report. The tech giant’s Adversarial Threat Report 2026 highlights a worrisome spike in AI-driven scams, signalling a new era of sophisticated digital frauds.

Report mentions AI fuelling rise in cyber-crime

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The report underscored how cyber-criminal syndicates are evolving into highly organised operations, often under the garb of professional enterprises. Such groups, as per the report, often rely on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to craft convincing scam messages, create fake online identities and develop deceptive phishing websites. Moreover, deepfake technology has added to the concerns, as it facilitates the fraudsters to blur the line between real and fabricated content. Consequently, it has turned into a tough chapter for users to distinguish genuine communication from malicious intent. 

Cyber-crime in India: Nudify applications pose threats 

It is noteworthy that one of the alarming trends is the misuse of AI-powered ‘Nudify’ applications, which generate non-consensual explicit images. Such apps pose threats to the privacy and safety of individuals, and experts warn that such technology is being adopted frequently for blackmailing, exploitation as well as harassment. 

India reports loss of Rs 22k crore+ to cyber-crimes in 2024

Rising financial losses to cyber-crimes in India are a testament to Meta’s report, as the country lost more than Rs 22,000 crore to cyber frauds in 2024. A majority of these cyber-crimes were driven by advanced phishing scams powered by AI-generated content. Detection and prevention have turned more challenging than ever, owing to the increasing sophistication of these attacks. 

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Meta responds by removing millions of fake accounts

Meta, in its report, outlined that it averted cyber-crimes by removing millions of fake accounts and scam-related pages across its platforms. Meanwhile, the cybersecurity experts emphasised that platform-level efforts alone would not suffice to tackle the menace. They called for stricter enforcement, stronger legislation and enhanced global cooperation to curb digital frauds. Experts also noted that improving digital literacy among users is of paramount importance, as limited awareness often leaves people vulnerable to online scams. Also read: Karnataka Police dismantle gang persuading students to open mule bank accounts using ‘scholarship’ as bait