Gujarat is witnessing a sharp rise in cyber fraud, with more than 1.06 lakh cases reported across the state in just seven months of 2026. Data covering January 1 to July 31 shows that 1,06,882 cyber-fraud complaints were recorded, translating to around 504 cases every day or nearly 21 cases every hour.
The figures show that cybercriminals are increasingly relying on simple methods such as fake identities, fraudulent calls and misleading online offers to gain the trust of victims and steal their money or personal information.
OTP Fraud Remains the Biggest Threat
The most common method continues to be OTP-related fraud, with 26,041 cases reported during the period.
In such cases, fraudsters often pretend to be bank officials, delivery agents, government representatives or service providers and convince victims to share an OTP or other confidential information. Once the information is obtained, money can be withdrawn or accounts can be accessed.
The scale of OTP fraud makes it the single largest category among the reported cases.
Fake Identities and Online Shopping Frauds Follow
The second-largest category was fake identity fraud, which recorded 21,023 cases.
Fraudsters often create false identities or impersonate trusted individuals and organisations to convince victims to transfer money or share sensitive details.
Online shopping fraud was another major category, with 15,084 cases. Victims may be lured by fake websites, attractive offers, non-existent products or fraudulent sellers.
Together, OTP, fake identity and online shopping frauds accounted for more than 62,000 cases, or around 58% of the total reported cyber-fraud cases.
Investment and Loan Frauds Also Remain a Concern
The data also highlights the growing use of financial schemes to target people online.
There were 7,228 investment and share-market related fraud cases, where victims may be promised quick or unusually high returns before being persuaded to transfer money.
Another 5,110 cases involved fraudulent loan applications. Such scams often attract people with promises of quick loans and may involve demands for advance payments, processing fees or personal documents.
These methods show how fraudsters are increasingly using financial pressure and the promise of easy profits to trap victims.
Women Targeted Through Blackmail and Fake Profiles
The data also points to a disturbing category of cybercrime involving women and young victims. During the seven-month period, Gujarat recorded:
1,257 escort fraud cases
847 blackmailing cases
495 fake Facebook/social-media identity cases
493 nude video-call fraud cases
241 matrimonial fraud cases
Together, these categories accounted for 3,333 complaints.
Nude video-call fraud and blackmailing were particularly linked to women being targeted online. In many such cases, fraudsters use fake social-media profiles or video calls to obtain private images or videos and then threaten victims with public exposure unless money is paid.
The available data does not separately provide the age or gender of victims across all categories, so the figures cannot be used to determine exactly how many women or minors were affected.
Cybercriminals Exploiting Trust, Not Just Technology
The figures indicate that sophisticated technology is not always necessary for cybercrime. In many cases, the biggest weapon used by fraudsters is trust.
A phone call, a fake identity, a convincing message or an attractive investment offer can be enough to make someone reveal confidential information or transfer money.
The large number of OTP and fake-identity cases shows how criminals continue to depend on social engineering — manipulating people into making decisions that benefit the fraudster.
Gujarat’s Cyber Fraud Picture
Between January 1 and July 31, 2026, OTP fraud emerged as the most common cybercrime in Gujarat, with 26,041 cases, followed by 21,023 fake identity fraud cases and 15,084 online shopping fraud cases.
Investment and share-market scams accounted for 7,228 cases, while 5,110 cases were linked to fraudulent loan applications.
Other reported forms of cybercrime included 1,257 escort fraud cases, 847 blackmailing cases, 495 fake Facebook or social-media identity cases, 493 nude video-call fraud cases and 241 matrimonial fraud cases.
With 1,06,882 complaints in just seven months, the numbers underline how quickly cyber fraud is becoming a serious public safety and financial threat in Gujarat.
The pattern also makes one thing clear: being cautious online is no longer optional. People need to avoid sharing OTPs, banking details, passwords or private images with strangers, verify identities before making payments and remain particularly careful about unsolicited investment, loan and online shopping offers.
Also Read: Released By US Court, Fled To Canada: Gujarat Man Held In $7.5M Fraud Case https://www.vibesofindia.com/gujarat-man-arrested-canada-us-fraud-case/
