India’s cyber-scam epidemic is part of a multibillion global industry. This series traces a full arc

If you have made a phone call in India recently, it is likely you have heard this recorded message: “Careful! If you are getting a video call from the police, customs, the CBI or a judge through an unknown number, don’t be afraid. They might be cybercriminals. Report them on the national cyber helpline number 1930 immediately.”

The message is from the home ministry. The reason why the government is warning Indians about cyberfrauds is because they have exploded exponentially.

From 71 cybercrime complaints registered every day in 2019, the number shot up 87 times in 2024 to 6,175 complaints a day.

Indians lost Rs 11,333 crore to cyberscams in just nine months last year, according to the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, an agency attached to the home ministry. That’s $1.3 billion.

While this number looks mind-boggling, it is just a small fraction of the global cyberscam industry’s estimated annual takings of nearly $40 billion.

At the helm of this industry are Chinese crime syndicates that operate out of Southeast Asia, mainly Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. They run highly-equipped “scam compounds” staffed with people from across Asia and Africa who are lured with fake job offers. These people are then threatened and forced into scamming people back home by assuming fake online identities…

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