Hyderabad, Mahbubnagar, and Chittoor Witnessing a Surge in Cybercrime Activity:
Hyderabad and Mahabubnagar in Telangana, along with Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, have recently emerged as new cybercrime hotspots in India, as revealed in a white paper titled ‘A Deep Dive into Cybercrime Trends Impacting India,’ released by The Future Crime Research Foundation (FCRF).
This nonprofit startup, incubated at IIT Kanpur, sheds light on these emerging cybercrime areas and emphasizes the need for proactive measures to address this growing threat. The FCRF categorized cybercrimes into nine distinct groups based on their characteristics. Online financial fraud dominates the cybercrime landscape, accounting for 77.41% of cases, with online and social media-related crimes following at 12.02%.
Within online financial fraud, UPI (Unified Payments Interface) fraud is the most prevalent, constituting 47.25% of such crimes, followed by debit and credit card fraud and sim swap fraud at 11.27%, and internet banking-related fraud at 9.28%, among others. The white paper identifies several factors contributing to the vulnerability of the top 10 cybercrime-prone districts in India. These factors include their proximity to major urban centers, limited cybersecurity infrastructure, socioeconomic challenges, and low levels of digital literacy.
FCRF also identifies cybercriminal hotspots and the nature of cybercrimes, providing insights into prevalent cyber threats in specific regions. This information underscores the importance of targeted strategies and awareness campaigns to effectively combat these emerging challenges.
The significant rise in cybercrime incidents can be attributed to various factors such as low skill requirements, inadequate know-your-customer (KYC) processes and verification, the availability of fake resources, affordable artificial intelligence tools, and the recruitment and training of individuals, creating a growing pool of potential cyber criminals. Even in Hyderabad, Many Crimes are happening.
Harshvardhan Singh, co-founder of FCRF, emphasizes the urgent need for enhanced training and capacity building across all sectors, including law enforcement, government, corporations, and individuals. This collective effort aims to bolster India’s defenses against cyber threats and create a safer digital environment.
Shashank Shekhar, co-founder of FCRF, highlights that these insights provide valuable information for combating cybercrime. Law enforcement agencies can strategically allocate resources, governments can formulate effective policies, corporations can enhance their cybersecurity measures, and individuals can take proactive steps to protect their digital assets.
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