The number of cybercrimes has gone up three times to 3,854 in 2021 from 1,212 last year. The number of cases that have been detected saw an increase from 159 in 2020 to 587 this year.

Police attribute the sharp increase to the opening up of the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System by the Union Government.

“The launch of CFCFRMS Toll Free Number by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and growing awareness in the public have led to the increase in the number of cases,” they said.

Cybercriminals continued to use the OLX platform to lure victims into making payments on fake QR codes in 2021. As many as 239 cases were reported last year on this count.

Releasing the annual report of the Cyberabad police Commissionerate for 2021, police officials said that as many as 289 ‘vishing call’ frauds were reported.

A ‘vishing attack’ can be launched by making voice email, VoIP (voice over IP), or landline or mobile phones.

The year saw about 340 investment-related frauds where gullible people were drawn to fake websites that offered exorbitant returns.

Nude video scams

The Cyberabad Commissionerate also witnessed sextortion frauds during the year. “As many as 76 cases were reported where the fraudsters made nude video calls to the victims. They would ask the victims to go nude and stealthily record the calls and blackmail them by threatening to make the calls public,” a police officer said.

Cases of e-mail hacking (15 cases) and loan frauds (175) too were reported.

The Commissionerate covers an area of 3,644 sq km, covering parts of Medchal, Sanga Reddy, Ranga Reddy and Hyderabad districts, with an aggregate population of about 78 lakh.

It houses the IT hub with 700 domestic and multi-national IT companies and 6,800 other industries of different sizes.

The number of fatal road accidents has seen a dip to 712 in 2021 from 730 cases last year.

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