India's cyber-fraud pattern is changing, with criminals increasingly relying on on-call scams and mule networks instead of focusing mainly on remotely taking over victims' devices. The shift points to a more direct form of deception in which fraudsters try to pressure or mislead people in real time.
The trend suggests that social manipulation is becoming a bigger part of cyber-enabled financial crime. Rather than depending only on technical control of a phone or computer, scammers appear to be using live conversations to guide victims into transferring money, sharing sensitive details or authorising transactions.
Mule networks are also emerging as a key part of this fraud ecosystem. These networks are typically used to move stolen money through multiple accounts, making transactions harder to trace and adding another layer to the challenge for banks, payment platforms and investigators.
The development highlights how cyber fraud in India is evolving beyond traditional device-compromise tactics. As scam methods become more phone-led and network-driven, the risk is no longer limited to hacked devices but also extends to fast-moving, socially engineered payment fraud.
