Uttar Pradesh Police warns of growing threat of hybrid cyber crime, stresses public awareness

Amid rising cases of hybrid cybercrime by fraud networks in Uttar Pradesh, state police officials on Saturday (May 30, 2026) said special security protocols and awareness raising with a multi-pronged approach are necessary to curb the menace as it bypasses traditional security models.

“Hybrid cybercrime has evolved from an isolated financial fraud to a model of fully compromising digital identity. Such cases should be treated as cases of digital identity takeover rather than simple cases of cyber fraud. International and interstate cyber fraud networks are now targeting Gmail, iCloud, mobile numbers, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, banking applications, UPI IDs, cloud photos, contacts, documents and police accounts for recovery,” said Deputy Vtendent and post recovery of police accounts. the state police, which handled a number of such cases.

“Once one primary account is compromised, criminals use it to reset passwords, capture OTPs, impersonate the victim, blackmail the victim, access banking/payment applications, and target the victim’s family, friends, and professional network. The most dangerous element is that these crimes are no longer limited to one platform. A typical scam may start with a phishing link, a fake courier call, a fake long-distance courier call, fake police call, fake police call and then expand to full control of email, phone, cloud, social media and financial accounts,” he said.

Talking about the threat landscape and high-risk targets, Mr Singh said: “Potential easy targets are senior citizens, students and young job seekers, small business owners and traders, women and minors vulnerable to extortion, morphing and sextortion and individuals using the same password on multiple accounts,”.

He said the key factors people need to keep in mind are digital survival protocol such as securing your primary email and cloud account with a strong and unique password for Gmail, enabling two-factor authentication for Google, Apple, Meta, WhatsApp and banking accounts, keeping your phone number and recovery email up-to-date.

“In rural areas and among less educated people, public messaging should be clear that no police officer, bank official, courier agent, telecom employee, government official, Google, Apple, Meta, WhatsApp or UPI agent will ask for OTP, password, PIN, QR scan, screen sharing or remote access,” the DSP added.

On the Uttar Pradesh Police’s dedicated mechanism to tackle such fraudster networks, the officer said, “The Uttar Pradesh Police has a dedicated structure for cybercrime which should be strengthened and used uniformly in all districts. We have district cybercrime police stations and cyber cells which are monitored by the cybercrime headquarters in Lucknow. UP Police has expanded its capacity to 1,930 with a cyber helpline. complaints and coordination with banks, telecom operators and digital platforms We have expanded the cyber police infrastructure and trained a large number of police personnel in the field of cyber crime investigation and prevention,”.

Mr Singh suggested that a multi-agency and multi-purpose approach was needed.

“A multi-agency approach is necessary because these crimes involve multiple systems: the victim’s device, email platform, telecom SIM card, bank account, UPI network, social media platform, hosting provider, domain registrar, VPN provider and sometimes even foreign infrastructure. Single agency action is insufficient. I suggest a multi-pronged strategy such as monthly cyber awareness campaigns in each district, awareness in schools, colleges, local banks, on manor and mail centers, local banks and stock exchanges.radio messages and videos on social media for seniors and women all police station personnel should be trained to immediately lead victims to 1930. The first response must focus on freezing funds and preserving evidence.

Published – 31 May 2026 03:40 IST