Senior citizens in Goa have suffered losses exceeding Rs 39 crore due to cyberfraud since 2023, amid rising scams targeting the vulnerable, prompting police to enhance awareness and prevention efforts.
Senior citizens in Goa have lost more than Rs 39 crore to cyberfraud since 2023, with police saying the sharpest rise has come from the so-called digital arrest scam and online investment frauds. Data placed before the state assembly showed 71 complaints involving elderly victims over the period, with losses accelerating each year and peaking in 2026, when 42 cases alone accounted for more than Rs 16.24 crore.
Police said older people are often singled out because they tend to have accumulated savings, may be less confident navigating digital platforms and can struggle to spot false messages or staged calls. Officers also pointed to fear, urgency, social isolation and a reluctance to report suspicious activity as factors that make senior citizens easier to pressure into transferring money.
The scale of the problem in Goa reflects a wider pattern seen elsewhere in India. The New Indian Express reported that senior citizens in Hyderabad lost Rs 102.02 crore in cyberfraud over a 19-month period, most of it through trading scams, digital arrest frauds and OTP-related deception. Nationally, The Economic Times reported that more than one lakh senior citizens filed financial cyberfraud complaints in 2025, underlining how vulnerable older people remain despite growing awareness efforts.
In Goa, police said they have filed final closure reports in 29 of the 71 cases, meaning investigators were unable to recover the money or identify the suspects despite treating the complaints as genuine. Authorities have responded by setting up a cloud-based 1930 cyberfraud call centre, launching the Cyber Yodha initiative and expanding awareness campaigns under Cyber Surakshit Goem. The police say public outreach remains central to prevention, even as fraudsters continue to adapt their tactics.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
