SMS Scams Surge 146% in India, Mobile Fraud Rises

SMS scams and mobile fraud have increased significantly in India.

According to a report by BioCatch, SMS scams have surged by 146%, and mobile fraud sessions have risen by 67% between the second half of 2025 and the first half of 2026.

This increase is more pronounced on iOS devices, with an 86% rise, compared to a 35% increase on Android.

Fraudsters are becoming more efficient, with risky payment sessions doubling and the median transfer value per fraud session increasing by 1.7 times.

Meanwhile, web browser-based fraud sessions have declined by 10%, indicating a shift towards mobile attack channels.

Investigators have detected over 8.5 lakh mule accounts across more than 700 branches of multiple Indian banks.

Cyber-fraud complaints in India reached Rs 22,496 crore in 2025, with 26.48 lakh mule cases reported.

Despite these challenges, there is greater collaboration between banks, the Reserve Bank of India, the I4C, and law enforcement to detect and respond to scams more effectively using behavioural intelligence and continuous assessment of user intent.