New Delhi, Jan. 5 -- Across India, families are quietly absorbing small but steady losses to digital fraud. What used to be an occasional mishap has now become a predictable leak in the monthly budget. As we head into 2026, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven scams are making this drain sharper, more personal, and more disturbingly believable.

The uncomfortable truth is that fraud has become a household expense, and unless we change our financial habits, it will remain that way. Why households are losing money even when they think they're careful.

Most Indian families view fraud as a major, dramatic loss, such as a wiped-out bank account or a stolen identity. But what hurts household finances today are the "micro-losses": Rs.99 here, Rs...