Don’t click on ‘Happy New Year’ messages; cyber crooks duped Gujarat citizens of ₹121 cr in December

As 2025 draws to a close, awareness remains the strongest defence against cybercrime. Fraudsters have now adopted a new tactic — sending ‘Happy New Year’ messages with malicious links.

Opening these links can instantly lead to cyber fraud. Amid high alert, the State Cyber Cell saved ₹17.72 crore in just two days, though only about half of the ₹121 crore lost in December could be recovered. 

According to the Gujarat Cyber Centre of Excellence, calls received on the cyber fraud helpline revealed that citizens lost ₹121 crore to online fraud in December alone. Swift action helped recover ₹61 crore. A significant breakthrough came on December 28 and 29.

On December 28, the 1930 helpline received 658 calls, including one timely call that helped prevent a ₹1.57 crore fraud. On December 29, out of 1,115 calls, authorities saved ₹9.04 crore, nearly 85 per cent of the defrauded amount. In another case, ₹7.11 crore was recovered out of a ₹7.12 crore attempted fraud.

Cyber officials emphasised the importance of the ‘golden hour’. Reporting fraud immediately by calling 1930 significantly increases the chances of freezing transactions and recovering money.

The Cyber Cell has issued a fresh alert ahead of New Year’s Eve. Messages containing ‘Happy New Year’ greetings with clickable links should be treated as suspicious. Fraudsters may pose as government departments, companies, political leaders, or officials.