WhatsApp frauds and scams becoming increasingly common; 12% admit they have faced impersonation and 35% say their contacts have faced it

May 22, 2025, New Delhi: Earlier this week, the Founder of Paytm, Vijay Shekhar Sharma posted on X about how someone impersonating him was trying to talk to him. Knowing what he was dealing with, Vijay added some humor in the exchange but such is not the case with many senior citizens who get duped across the country every month where a fraudster posing as one of their close contacts on Whatsapp reaches out to them to transfer money in an emergency situation or otherwise.

In a recently reported case, cyber fraudsters duped a 63-year-old man in Mumbai of a staggering INR 7.31 crore by luring him with promises of high returns through share market investments. The victim is reported to have been targeted through two WhatsApp accounts. On not receiving the promised returns on investment, the duped senior citizen reported to the police. The probe is still going on. In another case, a dentist in Kolkata, was duped of a sizable amount of money by someone posing in an army uniform on Whatsapp, demanding to make treatment arrangements for his father before they go for duty and wanting to pay for the treatment. Instead of making the payment, the link was such that the Doctors account was debited.

The Home Ministry has periodically been alerting citizens about how several people have lost large amounts of money due to increasing organized online economic crimes, learnt to be operated by cross-border crime syndicates. The ministry, through press statements, has shared that complaints are being reported on National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) regarding intimidation, blackmail, extortion and “Digital Arrests” by cyber criminals posing as Police Authorities, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Narcotics Department, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Enforcement Directorate and other Law Enforcement Agencies.

No sooner is one scam detected; another one pops up. After email, SMS and mobile call scams, WhatsApp scams have taken off since 2022. From warnings of electricity, water or piped gas disconnections within a few hours for non-payment of bills from unknown numbers, WhatsApp subscribers now get messages that may be threatening in nature, incentives to cash in on some lottery or even plea for help. Increasing number of scamsters are using fake international numbers for WhatsApp to target people, offering easy money through part time jobs, earlier done through SMS or email. Hundreds of cases of impersonation get reported just on LocalCircles alone where someone is impersonating a citizen and reaching out to their contacts requesting or demanding money transfer.

Seeing all these complaints, LocalCircles in a survey has attempted to find out from its registered members if they too have faced impersonation, frauds, harassment on WhatsApp and if so, have they ever become victims of cybercrime. The survey received over 22,000 responses from citizens located in 312 districts of India. 67% respondents were men while 33% respondents were women. 44% respondents were from tier 1, 33% from tier 2 and 23% respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts.

42% of respondents indicated they got job offers (offering work from home or other part time jobs) and wanting them to pay something

The survey first sought to know “what are all the ways in which someone has tried to attempt a fraud with you or your family on WhatsApp”. Nearly 11,000 responded to the query with some choosing more than one option. Thus 45% shared that they got messages “claiming you have won a lottery or access to celebrity show requiring you to pay a refundable processing fee”; 42% indicated “job offers (offering work from home or other part time jobs and wanting you to pay something); 42% shared they got “threatening messages to disconnect a service like electricity, others if a bill is not paid”; 21% got “QR code or link asking you to click to receive money, reward, etc.”; 12% indicated “impersonation (sending a message with your image to your contacts”; 12% indicated “WhatsApp OTP (attempting to get your WhatsApp OTP and hack into it) which means taking over your WhatsApp and attempting subsequent frauds”; 6% shared they got messages “threatening you with a police/other such case and trying to get you to transfer money”; 9% got “video call through which the caller tried to extort money”; 24% indicated other “type of scams then the one listed above”.

35% Indians surveyed who use Whatsapp have experienced instances when one of their contacts was impersonated in an attempt to commit fraud or extract money

The second question asked respondents, “Have you or your family had an instance where someone impersonating one of your contacts (with or without their picture) has sent you a message on WhatsApp asking for money, recharge, gift card purchase or for buying something?” A total of 11,078 responded with 65% or two-thirds stating “No, it never happened” and remaining stating it happened at least once. The data shows 9% received such messages at least once; 19% a few times; and 7% several times.

Whether it is theft of contact lists of users or finding phone number and geographical location/communities of a person and then using their images in Whatsapp DP and reaching out to others in the same location with a request to transfer money are common practices reported by citizens.

In summary, 35% of families who use WhatsApp and were surveyed have been targeted by scamsters through impersonation shows the government needs to step in and take notice. Better identification checks before a SIM is granted, ability of citizens to mark such numbers as fraudulent with one click and exchange of such information across telcos and AI driven blocking of such messages by Whatsapp are some of the steps that will help in reducing such fraud.

LocalCircles will escalate these findings with TRAI, DOT, MEITY, CCPA and other stakeholders for review and action.

Survey Demographics

The survey received over 22,000 responses from citizens located in 312 districts of India. 67% respondents were men while 33% respondents were women. 44% respondents were from tier 1, 33% from tier 2 and 23% respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts. The survey was conducted via LocalCircles platform, and all participants were validated citizens who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey.