Hyd’s Educated Are Falling for High-Profit Scams: Cybercriminals Target Private Employees First

Cybercriminals in Hyderabad are increasingly targeting private employees

Hyderabad is now witnessing a worrying shift in cybercrime tactics, with fraudsters increasingly zeroing in on private employees first. 

According to the reports, these professionals often invest by “wishing and believing in high profits,” making them easy targets. Once they’ve gained a strong hold, scammers move on to business owners, home users, and students. The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) and local police have recorded 11,252 victims in the city so far, with people losing money or personal data in online scams. 

The scams typically involve fake job offers, investment traps, or fraudulent links designed to steal funds or sensitive information. Officials say the alarming aspect is that 60–80% of victims are highly educated, including IT professionals, engineers, doctors, and businesspeople. Cybercriminals are deliberately using sophisticated social engineering methods to lure this demographic. 

In other cases, fraudsters are targeting high-income professionals, using advanced tactics such as “digital arrests”, posing as CBI or police officials to intimidate victims into transferring money. A large number of those falling prey are older, well-educated citizens, including retired professionals whose children live abroad. The fraudsters exploit this vulnerability, leveraging fear and urgency to force victims into compliance. 

Experts say scammers are also using fluent English and Hindi to win trust among educated targets. The scammers’ scripts are polished, their apps and websites look legitimate, and their customer support appears real. Even people who consider themselves tech-savvy are being deceived. 

Recent reports indicate a surge in varied and sophisticated cyber frauds around Hyderabad, including major losses from fake stock trading and investment platforms. High-value job-related scams promising lucrative opportunities to have also risen.  

Targeting well-educated and business sectors

Balakrishna Korupolu, a 32-year-old employee at ZAPS Travel Agency, shared his experience. “I work in an MNC and thought I was too tech-savvy to fall for something like this. The scam started with a WhatsApp message about a ‘low-risk international trading opportunity’. The app looked professional, customer support responded instantly, and the profits shown were believable. I kept reinvesting because I thought either it would work or not, but when I tried to withdraw, the amount had been debited from my account,” he said. Balakrishna added that he approached bank officials and filed a complaint with cyber security but could not recover his money. 

Bhaskar Rao, a 47-year-old private businessman, said the scam took advantage of his regular business mindset. “As a small business owner, cash flow and investment decisions are part of my daily life, so the promise of quick returns didn’t seem suspicious. The fraudsters online who made around 4-5 calls to me claiming that they were talking from some delivery app providing bonuses spoke fluent English and in proper manner. They even claimed to be coordinating with government-registered platforms. I didn’t tell them anything on call but opened a WhatsApp and telegram link that was shared with me,” he said. He lost around five thousand rupees from his account. 

As the city struggles with these growing threats, authorities are urging citizens to remain vigilant and verify any financial opportunity before sharing personal details or transferring money.