PANAJI
As 2025 draws to a close, cyber fraud emerged as one of Goa’s most persistent and costly crimes, with offenders exploiting fake investments, digital arrests and overseas call centre rackets to siphon off crores from unsuspecting victims.
The year also saw the Cyber Crime Police notch up detections, including high-value investment scams, cryptocurrency frauds and the busting of an illegal call centre that trapped foreign nationals amid public advisories to contain the growing digital threat.
The biggest cyber fraud reported in the State this year involved a fake IPO scheme in which a retired government officer was cheated of Rs 4.74 crore. Police said the investigation exposed an organised network operating through several States, using mule bank accounts and layered transactions to launder proceeds, making it one of the most complex cases handled so far. Two persons from Jalna and Kolhapur, in Maharashtra, were arrested.
Close on its heels were several high-value investment and cryptocurrency frauds, with individual losses pegged at Rs 2.63 crore, Rs 1.52 crore and Rs 1 crore. The cybercrime team noted a pattern of fraudsters posing as financial experts or enforcement officials, often targeting senior citizens and using forged documents and intimidation tactics, including so-called “digital arrests”.
Among the breakthroughs was the busting of a Rs 69.75-lakh fake investment scam with the arrest of a 62-year-old senior citizen from Ernakulam, Kerala. Police said the accused masqueraded as a representative of a reputed investment firm, lured the victim through a fraudulent trading application and extracted repeated “service fees” after displaying fictitious profits. His bank account later surfaced in 23 cyber fraud cases across six States.
The Cyber Crime Cell also dismantled an illegal call centre operating from Old Goa, arresting seven men from four States. The accused allegedly impersonated loan agents and duped US nationals by demanding payments through high-value gift cards. Electronic devices seized during the raid pointed to a well-coordinated overseas scam operation.
Digital arrest frauds remained a recurring theme. In one case, a Quepem resident was cheated of Rs 1.05 crore after fraudsters impersonated enforcement officers and accused him of money laundering. Police arrested a 34-year-old Kerala native, tracing Rs 24 lakh to his account, which was linked to 13 cases across 10 States involving over Rs 9 crore. Another arrest followed in a Rs 25.50-lakh digital arrest scam targeting a Vasco resident, with the accused’s account linked to 22 cases nationwide involving more than Rs 11.33 crore.
Further progress was made in the Siolim digital arrest case, where a 68-year-old woman was duped of Rs 1 crore in December 2024. Police arrested several accused across Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, identifying mule account handlers who helped launder at least Rs 40 lakh of the proceeds.
Beyond arrests, police said over 500 fraudulent websites, hundreds of scam-linked mobile numbers and several malicious applications were blocked during the year. However, several escort websites have been operating without the fear of the law. The sleuths also made repeated public advisories urging timely reporting through the national helpline 1930 or the cybercrime portal.
