T’puram: As many as 110 cyberfraud cases have been reported within Thiruvananthapuram city police limits since Jan this year, with the senior citizens accounting for nearly 80% of victims, according to crime records bureau sources.An additional 45 cases have been registered in rural areas during the same period. Most cases involve financial frauds such as fake bank calls, OTP theft, and fraudulent investment schemes promising high returns. T Mathew (name changed), a retired treasury department employee in Thiruvananthapuram, lost around Rs 43 lakh last year after falling victim to one such scam. He told TOI that the fraud began with a video advertisement on Facebook that appeared to feature Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman endorsing a trading company. “Soon after, I was contacted by members of the so-called firm. They spoke very professionally and convinced me to invest,” he said. Over six months, he invested more than Rs 44 lakh. “When I tried to withdraw, they kept asking for more money, citing charges. That’s when I realised I was trapped,” he said. Police officials said while senior citizens remain the primary targets due to limited digital awareness, youngsters are also increasingly falling prey to such scams. “Three years ago, we used to get around 20 cases annually. The numbers have now increased significantly,” a cyber police officer said. Investigators said most fraudsters are youngsters operating in organized networks, using impersonation, fake websites and even deepfake videos to gain victims’ trust. Rahul V I, a criminal lawyer at high court, said these gangs function with clearly defined roles. “They create fake websites using IT professionals or students, often without revealing the criminal intent. They then recruit financially vulnerable individuals to open bank accounts to route the money,” he said. He added that the victims are carefully targeted. “In investment scams, fraudsters often pay returns for a few months to build credibility. Once large sums are invested, they vanish,” he said. Citing a recent case, he said an accused from Thrissur was recruited by a gang, taken to West Bengal, and used to open a bank account that received Rs 37 lakh siphoned from a victim. While police arrested the account holder, the main operators remain untraceable. Police said losses in such cases range from lakhs to crores. “Despite increased awareness, financial fraud persists as people are lured by promises of high returns. Tracing interstate gangs continues to be a major challenge,” said a source at cyber police department.
