Mysuru: Mysuru is among the top five districts in Karnataka targeted by cybercriminals, alongside Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts. Tumakuru and Vijayapura were the other two districts in the top five list. A major reason for the increase in cybercrime was the desire for financial gain.Home minister G Parameshwara informed the house that five districts, including Mysuru, reported more cybercrimes while replying to a query by MLA Rizwan Arshad during the recently concluded session at Belagavi. Over the past few years, fraudsters increasingly duped residents and bank account holders through online scams. Official data shows victims in Mysuru lost nearly Rs 43 crore in 2025. Police attributed the surge in cyber offences to higher digital usage and low user awareness about online safety. This year, police received two cases in which a woman and a self-employed man lost, in total, Rs 1.9 crore to cybercrooks. The city has appeared to become a hotspot for cybercrimes, with online scams rising across banking, shopping and social media. Criminals used phishing emails, fake customer support calls and cloned websites to steal passwords and drain accounts. An officer noted that while the number of reported cybercrimes decreased, the financial loss increased. Fewer cases were registered, but the losses in each incident were higher than before. This suggested that criminals were stealing larger amounts. The trend also indicated that scams and online fraud were becoming more damaging, even if they were less frequent. An awareness drive commenced in public places, urging people to stay alert, verify links and messages, and avoid sharing personal or banking details. Stronger security practices and faster reporting can help reduce losses, the officer stated. In Mysuru City, bank customers lost Rs 43 crore in 2025 and about 177 cases were reported, while the loss in 2024 was Rs 47.5 crore and about 274 people filed cases.
