Hyderabad: 5,646 cases of cybercrime reported in 2021

Hyderabad: While the city police have breathed a sigh of relief as the number of cases involving conventional or traditional crimes has decreased, a sharp increase in cases of cybercrime this year has proven to be a litmus test for the officers.

In 2021, the city police booked 5,646 counts of cybercrime, compared to 1,379 cases recorded in 2020.

The additional commissioner of police (crimes) Shikha Goel, said that in order to assist victims of cybercrime, the option to register cases at local law and order police stations was established this year as part of a new endeavour.

“Anyone who has been a victim of cybercrime is encouraged to contact their local police station.” “Cases will be booked and investigated by local police officers who have received advanced training in cybercrime investigations,” she explained.

She claimed that the most of the scams include unified payment interface (UPI) schemes, in which the fraudsters urge victims to scan QR codes in order to get payment and then trick them into sending money to the fraudsters.

“UPI scams account for about 45 percent of all cybercrime instances, followed by 15 percent OTP frauds, phone customer service, investment fraud, and other cybercrime cases,” the official stated.

Many senior citizens, according to Shikha Goel, are becoming victims of cybercrime frauds. “Senior people are avoiding going out after the outbreak and instead attempting to make payments from their homes using internet portals and e-wallets.” “Many people aren’t aware of the safety precautions and end up falling prey to scams,” she remarked.

Furthermore, the official stated that the local police department was getting loan fraud complaints and advised residents not to take out loans using internet applications. She also cautioned that internet investment scammers are being targeted by the police, who have detained 18 people so far this year.

The commissioner said, “Also, certain online gaming applications require crypto money from users, which increases the risk of consumers falling prey to scammers.”