“One OTP can empty your bank account”: Cyber crime police issue fresh alert

Hyderabad: The Cyber Crime Wing of Hyderabad Police has issued a fresh alert on rising OTP-based frauds, urging citizens to stay cautious as cybercriminals continue to exploit digital channels to siphon off funds from bank accounts.

In its advisory released Tuesday, officials explained that fraudsters often pose as bank staff, customer-care agents, delivery executives, or job recruiters. They contact users through fake calls, SMS, WhatsApp messages, phishing links, and bogus helpline numbers to trick them into revealing their One-Time Passwords (OTPs).

Once obtained, these OTPs give criminals direct access to bank accounts, UPI apps, credit cards, and digital wallets. As a result, victims often suffer swift and irreversible financial losses.

Common scams include KYC, UPI and refund frauds

Moreover, police identified the most frequent scams. These include fake KYC update alerts, refund and cashback traps, fraudulent job or loan offers, bogus e-commerce returns, UPI collect requests, and SIM-swap operations.

Importantly, the advisory stressed that no bank, company, or government agency ever asks for OTPs. Citizens must avoid approving unknown UPI requests and should never share screenshots that contain OTPs. Additionally, they should verify customer-care numbers only through official websites or mobile apps.

To boost security, police recommended enabling SIM locks, screen locks, and transaction alerts. These simple steps can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

Finally, Cyber Crime officials urged anyone affected or even suspecting a fraud attempt to call the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 or report the incident at cybercrime.gov.in.