Visakhapatnam: The cybercrime wing of the Visakhapatnam city police froze over 26% of the money lost in cyber frauds during 2026 and returned more than 90% of the frozen amount to victims.Police said financial cyber fraud cases in the city declined by nearly 25% this year, largely due to sustained public awareness campaigns. However, investment scams promising high returns through WhatsApp and Telegram groups continue to claim victims.According to police data, the number of cyber fraud FIRs registered between January and August fell to 150 in 2026 from 197 during the corresponding period in 2025.Cyber crimes inspector K Bhavani Prasad attributed the decline to awareness initiatives such as advertisements, short films, caller tunes and other outreach programmes. He said victims are now reporting frauds more promptly, enabling police to initiate timely action. Digital arrest scams, though still prevalent, have witnessed a significant decline, with cases dropping by over 60% compared to previous years.Residents of Visakhapatnam lost ₹96 crore to cyber fraudsters between January and August 2025. During the same period in 2026, losses declined to ₹56.76 crore. Police managed to freeze ₹15 crore of the defrauded amount this year, compared to ₹11.5 crore during the corresponding period last year.Cybercrime police have facilitated the refund of ₹13.66 crore to hundreds of victims so far this year, nearly double the ₹6.73 crore refunded during the same period in 2025. Inspector BMD Prasad said the chances of recovering money increase significantly when victims report frauds immediately through the 1930 cyber helpline, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, or directly to the cybercrime police station.Police said they promptly analyse the money trail after receiving complaints and coordinate with nodal officers of banks and financial intermediaries to freeze the defrauded funds.Despite the overall decline in cybercrime, police cautioned that investment frauds linked to online trading platforms and fake share market schemes continue to be reported, often exploiting people’s desire for quick returns.
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