The Cyber Crimes Wing of Hyderabad Police has issued a public advisory cautioning citizens against a sharp rise in frauds involving one-tome passwords, which are being exploited to gain unauthorised access to bank accounts, digital wallets and personal data.
Police said cyber fraudsters use deceptive phone calls, SMS, WhatsApp texts, fake customer-care numbers and phishing websites to trick people into sharing OTPs. Once the OTP is disclosed, criminals are able to siphon off money, misuse credit cards, take over e-commerce accounts and commit identity theft, often causing severe financial losses.
According to officials, fraudsters commonly pose as bank representatives claiming that a customer’s account, debit card or KYC will be blocked unless an OTP is shared. In other cases, victims are lured with fake refunds, cashback offers or gift vouchers, or are misled while searching for customer-care numbers online, which are answered by scammers posing as support staff.
Police also flagged cases where fraudsters promise instant loans or job approvals, send fake UPI collect requests under the guise of crediting money, or impersonate delivery agents seeking OTPs to verify returns or refunds. In some instances, criminals use OTPs to carry out SIM swap frauds, allowing them to intercept banking alerts and further transactions.
The officials urged the public to remember that no bank, government agency, e-commerce platform or delivery service ever asks for OTPs. Citizens have been advised not to approve unknown UPI requests, avoid sharing screenshots of messages containing OTPs, and to verify customer-care numbers only through official websites or mobile applications.
Citizens have also been encouraged to activate SIM locks, device screen locks and bank transaction alerts. Any suspected cyber fraud should be reported immediately to the National Cybercrime Helpline at 1930 or through the cybercrime reporting portal.
Published – February 03, 2026 07:27 pm IST
