India, April 3 -- India's digital transformation has been both rapid and inclusive. App-based communication platforms have become the backbone of everyday interactions, enabling everything from social connections and commerce to financial transactions and service delivery.

However, this remarkable growth has also created a serious and persistent challenge: fraud and scams on these platforms have escalated into a systemic threat to public trust and the digital economy.

This is no longer a marginal cybercrime issue. It is a structural vulnerability that requires coordinated attention from policymakers, platforms, industry and citizens alike.

During the last five years, the nature of digital fraud in India has changed fundamentally. Fraud...