Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala police have disclosed that a large number of cyber scam victims in the state are professionals with expertise, including doctors and IT specialists. Official data shows that more than 1,000 individuals have fallen victim to scam in the past five months, with 55 doctors and 93 IT professionals being among them. The police's cyber division has been actively working to increase awareness about online fraud through social media and in-person sessions.
The doctors' association has initiated its own campaigns to educate against online scams. Efforts are being made to engage with the Reserve Bank due to lower than expected participation in the awareness initiatives conducted by the police in collaboration with banks. Approximately Rs.15 crore is estimated to be lost to online fraud every month in the state. Last year, losses totaled Rs.201 crore.
Officials from the Cyber Division have highlighted that timely intervention could help recover some of the lost funds. However, less than 40 percent of fraud victims report incidents within the initial hours.