Digital frauds outpace robberies in tech city

There has been a big spurt in sophisticated scams involving digital technology, with such cases overtaking robberies and muggings over the last two years.

Police are grappling with a flood of complaints as FIRs against digital frauds have crossed 10,000 in Bengaluru alone this year. In comparison, the incidents of robbery, banditry and chain snatching in the entire state stood at 1,595 till September this calendar year, with the police saying it may touch last year’s number of 2,250.

Experts said lack of regulation covering recent advances in digital payments, such as real-time United Payments Interface (UPI), is the main reason. The nature of the crimes indicates that data leaks are exposing an increasing number of online users to criminals.