HYDERABAD: A man received a message on his Instagram account from a profile featuring the photograph of a girl. Believing it to be genuine, he replied and soon began chatting daily with her. The person later asked for his WhatsApp number, and they started exchanging photographs. Eventually, the chats turned into what he thought was a relationship.
One night, the caller asked him to strip on video. The images were later used to blackmail him, with threats to share them with his family and friends unless money was paid. Realising he had been scammed, the young man approached the cybercrime police, who found that the person behind the account was not a girl but unidentified fraudsters.
Police said people were increasingly falling prey to such scams, losing money and suffering silently without confiding in their parents. Even educated adults are victims, facing severe distress. Four major types of cyber fraud are frequently reported across Telangana — “digital arrest,” investment fraud, sextortion and cyber slavery.
Cyber fraudsters were running these operations by targeting metropolitan cities. Gundamalla Srinivas, DSP at the cybercrime headquarters, told Deccan Chronicle that these scams are rampant in Hyderabad.
Recently, around 50 youths were brought back from Cambodia in connection with a cyber‑slavery case. Police said they had travelled for jobs, but their passports were seized and they were forced to run online scams in their native languages. Investigations revealed the operation of such gangs abroad.
Monthly reports show one or two cases of “digital arrest,” two to four cases of sextortion, two to four cases of cyber slavery, and five to seven cases of investment fraud. Software professionals and businesspeople are most frequently duped in investment frauds, lured by promises of high returns. When the fraudster’s phone becomes unreachable, victims realise they have been cheated.
Cybercriminals are also targeting districts beyond Hyderabad. DSP Srinivas said phone hacking cases are rising, along with credit card and OTP‑related frauds. He stressed that people must never share OTPs with anyone. The police are campaigning to raise awareness and prevent such crimes, but Srinivas emphasised that greater public vigilance is essential.
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