Govt blocks over 3,700 fraudulent apps, saves Rs 11,158 crore

The Centre informed the Lok Sabha it has blocked 3,718 mobile apps, including fraudulent loan apps, to fight cybercrime. This action saved over Rs 11,158 crore from being siphoned off, based on more than 32.80 lakh complaints.

The Centre has blocked a total of 3,718 mobile applications, including fraudulent loan apps, till June 30, 2026, as part of its efforts to curb cybercrime and protect citizens from online frauds, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The Ministry also said that a financial amount of more than Rs 11,158 crore has been saved in over 32.80 lakh complaints received through the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS) during the same period.

Massive Crackdown on Cyber Fraudsters

Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar shared the details in a written reply to a query by BJP MP PC Mohan regarding steps taken by the government to identify and curb illicit, fraudulent and misleading mobile applications, including loan apps, used to cheat citizens. "Till June 30, 2026, a total of 3,718 mobile apps, including fraudulent loan apps, have been blocked by I4C (Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre) under Section 69(A), Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000. More than 15.75 lakh SIM cards and 5.77 lakh IMEIs, as reported by police authorities, have been blocked by the Government of India," Kumar said.

He informed the House that the CFCFRMS, operated by the I4C and launched in 2021 for immediate reporting of financial frauds, has helped prevent the siphoning off of funds by cyber fraudsters. "Till June 30, 2026, a financial amount of more than Rs 11,158 crore has been saved in more than 32.80 lakh complaints," the Minister said.

'Suspect Registry' to Track Criminals

Kumar further stated that the I4C launched a suspect registry of cyber criminals' identifiers on September 10, 2024, in collaboration with banks and financial institutions. "More than 30.48 lakh suspect identifier data received from banks and 32.08 lakh Layer 1 mule accounts have been shared with the participating entities of Suspect Registry and declined transactions worth Rs 25,698 crore till June 30, 2026," he said.

New Modules and SOPs for Faster Redressal

The Minister also informed that the MHA has issued a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for NCRP-CFCFRMS to improve operational efficiency and ensure uniformity in handling cybercrime complaints. The SOP provides a framework for complaint processing, coordination with banks, grievance redressal, removal of lien markings and restoration of defrauded funds to victims based on complaints received through the National Cyber Reporting Platform (NCRP) of I4C.

He added that the Money Restoration Module for speedy restoration of defrauded money and the Grievance Redressal Module for addressing issues related to freezing of bank accounts and lien marking have been made operational from April 2026.

Nationwide Awareness Campaigns

Highlighting awareness initiatives, Kumar said the government has undertaken several campaigns, including SMS and caller tune campaigns, social media outreach through CyberDost accounts, TV and radio campaigns, school programmes, cinema advertisements, celebrity endorsements, IPL campaigns and cyber safety awareness weeks in coordination with states and Union Territories.

Institutional Framework to Combat Cybercrime

The Minister said the MHA established the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) as an attached office to deal with all types of cybercrimes in a coordinated manner. He added that the NCRP was launched under I4C to enable citizens to report cybercrime incidents, with special focus on crimes against women and children.

The 'Sahyog' portal was also launched to facilitate faster action against unlawful online content by enabling notices to IT intermediaries under the Information Technology Act. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)