Centre Blocks 3,718 Fraudulent Apps, Saves ₹11,158 Crore From Cyber Fraud

The Centre blocked 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 fraud, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The government's cyber fraud reporting system also helped save more than ₹11,158 crore in over 32.80 lakh complaints during the same period, highlighting the scale of financial cybercrime as well as efforts to prevent fraudsters from siphoning off victims' money.

Fraud Apps, SIM Cards Blocked

Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar provided the figures in a written reply to a query by BJP MP PC Mohan on 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.

The Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), operated by the I4C and launched in 2021 for immediate reporting of financial fraud, has helped prevent cyber fraudsters from siphoning off funds.

"Till June 30, 2026, a financial amount of more than ₹11,158 crore has been saved in more than 32.80 lakh complaints," the Minister said.

Suspect Registry Targets Mule Accounts

Kumar said the I4C launched a suspect registry of cybercriminal identifiers on Sept 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 ₹25,698 crore till June 30, 2026," he said.

The figures underline the importance of coordination between law enforcement agencies, banks and financial institutions as fraudsters increasingly use mobile applications, SIM cards and mule accounts to move money.

New System To Restore Defrauded Money

The Ministry has also issued a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) for the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal-Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (NCRP-CFCFRMS) to improve operational efficiency and ensure uniformity in handling cybercrime complaints.

The SOP provides a framework for processing complaints, coordinating with banks, addressing grievances, removing lien markings and restoring defrauded funds to victims based on complaints received through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) of the I4C.

Kumar said the Money Restoration Module, aimed at speeding up the restoration of defrauded money, and the Grievance Redressal Module, which addresses issues related to the freezing of bank accounts and lien marking, became operational in April 2026, ANI reports.

Awareness Drive Steps Up

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

Such awareness measures remain an important part of the fight against cybercrime because preventing people from falling for fraudulent applications and online scams can complement action taken after a fraud is reported.

The Ministry established the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre as an attached office to deal with all types of cybercrime in a coordinated manner.

The NCRP was launched under the I4C to allow citizens to report cybercrime incidents, with a 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 information technology intermediaries under the Information Technology Act.