Bhubaneswar: At least 59,437 people have fallen prey to online trading fraud in the last five years in Odisha, informed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in the Legislative Assembly today.

The CM was replying to a question by MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati.

While the numbers were relatively low in earlier years, the situation escalated drastically in recent times. In 2019, only 18 cases of online trading fraud were reported. This increased slightly to 28 in 2020, 22 in 2021, and 105 in 2022, the reply revealed.

However, 2023 saw a dramatic spike, with 18,994 individuals defrauded in just one year. The trend has continued into 2024, with an alarming 40,270 cases reported in the first 11 months alone, the reply added.