Kathmandu, Nepal - August 25, 2026: Nepal is facing a rapidly expanding digital-security challenge, with 20,526 cybercrime-related complaints registered nationwide during fiscal year 2025/26 (2082/83), according to Nepal Police. The figure is higher than the 18,926 complaints recorded in 2024/25, underlining the growing scale and complexity of crime in Nepal’s increasingly digital society.
The latest figures show that cybercrime is no longer a marginal or purely technical problem. It is increasingly affecting ordinary citizens through social media, online financial transactions, digital wallets, messaging applications and fraudulent online opportunities.
Social media emerges as the biggest gateway
Among the complaints recorded in the last fiscal year, Facebook/Messenger misuse accounted for 7,123 cases, followed by TikTok with 6,776, WhatsApp with 3,105, Telegram with 1,031 and Instagram with 628 complaints. Nepal Police also recorded complaints involving financial services, institutions, email and other digital platforms.
Police say emerging schemes include criminals impersonating bank or digital-wallet employees, fraudulent gift, lottery and parcel offers, romance scams, foreign-employment fraud, fake online job opportunities and scams conducted through Telegram, WhatsApp and Instagram. Online-shopping fraud is also among the patterns being observed.
The danger extends beyond financial loss. Digital platforms are increasingly being misused for harassment, blackmail, character assassination and the non-consensual distribution of private images-offences that can leave victims facing serious social and psychological consequences.
The numbers may still underestimate the real problem
The 20,526 complaints should not necessarily be interpreted as the complete scale of cybercrime in Nepal. Many victims may never report incidents because of embarrassment, fear, lack of awareness or uncertainty about where to seek help.
Nepal Police recorded 161 cybercrime cases and arrested 155 people during fiscal year 2025/26, demonstrating that complaints and formally prosecuted cases represent different stages of the criminal-justice process.
Cybercrime also presents a unique investigative challenge: perpetrators can operate anonymously, remotely and across national borders, while digital evidence can disappear or move between platforms within minutes.
Stronger enforcement must accompany digital growth
Nepal’s principal legal framework includes the Electronic Transactions Act, 2063 (2008), administered alongside the country’s broader legal system. The Nepal Law Commission maintains the Act as an official legal resource.
But legislation alone cannot protect a rapidly digitising population. Effective enforcement requires specialised investigators, modern digital-forensic capacity, stronger coordination with financial institutions and technology companies, faster investigation and prosecution, and sustained public-awareness campaigns.
The Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police, established specifically to address cybercrime and cyber-security challenges, says it works on investigation, prevention, capacity development, forensic modernisation and public awareness.
Digital safety must become everyone’s responsibility
For citizens, basic precautions remain critical: use strong and unique passwords, activate multi-factor authentication, avoid suspicious links and unsolicited messages, verify claims made by supposed bank or wallet representatives, and never disclose banking credentials, PINs, passwords or one-time passwords to unknown persons.
Victims should preserve screenshots, URLs and other digital evidence and report incidents to Nepal Police or the Cyber Bureau rather than remaining silent. The Cyber Bureau provides an official online complaint process and accepts complaints through its office and designated police channels.
Nepal’s digital transformation is creating enormous opportunities for communication, business, education and innovation. But without equally strong investment in digital security, the same technology can become a powerful tool for exploitation.
Ecosphere News believes cybercrime must no longer be treated as a secondary challenge. A digitally connected Nepal needs a digitally resilient Nepal-where innovation is protected by strong institutions, responsible technology use, informed citizens and laws that are effectively enforced.
Source: Nepal Police / Central Cyber Bureau; legal reference: Nepal Law Commission.
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