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IIT Madras Study Reveals Educated Professionals Fall Victim to Cybercrime
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News18•29-09-2026, 13:45
IIT Madras Study Reveals Educated Professionals Fall Victim to Cybercrime
- •An IIT Madras study challenges the perception that financial cybercrime victims are primarily careless or financially unaware, finding highly educated professionals among them.
- •Victims included IT professionals, bankers, doctors, and individuals with cybersecurity certifications, indicating high digital literacy doesn't guarantee protection.
- •Fraudsters often target individuals during periods of stress or life disruption, exploiting fear and financial expectations to create an "engineered brain freeze."
- •Financial losses ranged from thousands to over Rs 1 crore, with victims reporting shame, insomnia, depression, and damaged family trust.
- •The study, based on interviews with 33 victims across major Indian cities, highlights the need for better prevention strategies and institutional responses beyond victim-blaming.
Key Questions Answered
The study found that financial cybercrime victims were frequently highly educated professionals, including IT experts, bankers, doctors, and individuals with cybersecurity credentials, which challenges the perception that victims are mainly careless or financially unaware.
Fraudsters target individuals during periods of life stress or disruption such as illness, retirement, or job searches, exploiting fear and urgency to induce an engineered brain freeze that impairs clear thinking.
The research was led by Prof. P. Kandaswamy and Prof. Nandan Sudarsanam from IIT Madras, in collaboration with Prof. Akanksha Jaiswal and Prof. Ameeta Fernando.
