Mizoram sees surge in cybercrime, financial scams top list

Aizawl: Financial fraud or online scam topped various cyber crime cases in Mizoram as nearly 80 per cent of cyber crime cases reported in nine months since January were financial scams, including fraudulent investment schemes and impersonation fraud, a senior police officer said. 

The officer said that the northeastern state registered a surge in cyber crime and fraudsters duped over Rs. 8 crore between January and September this year. 

The highest monthly loss was reported in July at Rs. 2.57 crore, followed by Rs. 1.59 crore in March, he said. 

The monetary loss through fraud for other months ranges between Rs. 24 lakh and Rs. 67 lakh, he said. 

The senior officer said that retrieving funds from cyber scams continues to be challenging as only 10 per cent of the duped money has so far been recovered.

Among the financial frauds, 'army scam' was the most common scam in which fraudsters tried to dupe victims by pretending and impersonating as military personnel, he said. 

Most cyber-criminals operate mainly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, he said.