Online Scams in Hyderabad, India

How it works

Scammers call or video-call victims posing as CBI officers, RBI officials, or Hyderabad police, claiming the victim's phone number or bank account has been linked to a money laundering or narcotics case. Victims are told they are "digitally arrested" and must remain on call continuously — sometimes for days — while being coerced into transferring large sums to "clear their name." In Hyderabad, documented losses reached Rs 33.81 crore in 2025, with a single family losing Rs 5.5 crore after 17 days of continuous video call surveillance.

How it works

Scammers operating in Hyderabad add targets to WhatsApp or Telegram groups posing as legitimate brokers, financial advisors, or "Goldman Sachs" analysts and offer inside tips on IPO pre-allotments and high-return stock trades. Victims are directed to download fake trading apps that show artificial profits to encourage larger deposits. Once significant sums are transferred, withdrawals are blocked and operators vanish. Hyderabad Cybercrime Police report victims lost over Rs 500 crore to this fraud type in 2025, with individual losses ranging from Rs 50 lakh to over Rs 5 crore.

How it works

Fraudulent travel agencies operating through Instagram pages, Facebook groups, and Google-advertised websites collect large deposits from travelers booking tours, pilgrimages (particularly Umrah packages from Hyderabad's large Muslim community), and cruise trips. After collecting Rs 50,000–80,000 per person, operators disconnect all communication channels and disappear. In documented Hyderabad cases, a fake Umrah operator defrauded multiple families, and a fake cruise booking agent collected Rs 2.42 lakh from a single victim via WhatsApp after appearing in Google search results.