New Delhi: The Union government has said that more than Rs 11,158 crore of public money was prevented from reaching cyber fraudsters through timely intervention on complaints received over the past five years.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha to a question raised by BJP MP P C Mohan, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the Cyber Financial Fraud Reporting and Management System has received over 32.80 lakh complaints since it began operations.
The minister added that, as of June 30, authorities blocked 3,718 mobile applications created for online fraud. Based on inputs from police officials, over 15.75 lakh SIM cards and more than 5.77 lakh device IMEI numbers linked to cyber fraud were also blocked.
He said a “Suspect Registry” to record identity details of persons suspected of cyber fraud was launched on September 10, 2024, in coordination with banks and financial institutions. Up to June 30, over 30.48 lakh suspect records and 32.08 lakh bank accounts used to move fraudulent funds were uploaded, leading to the rejection of suspicious transactions worth Rs 25,698 crore.
The Home Ministry has issued detailed guidelines for handling cyber fraud complaints through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the reporting and management system. Measures such as faster recovery of lost funds, freezing bank accounts and seeking transaction blocks have been operational since April, alongside awareness campaigns via SMS, call-time audio messages, social media, TV and radio, and outreach programmes with states and Union Territories.
