Hyderabad: Senior citizens lost Rs 102 crore to cyber fraud in the Hyderabad police commissionerate limits in the last 19 months, with trading scams and digital arrest frauds accounting for most of the losses.Urging senior citizens to remain vigilant and stay abreast of the latest cybercrime trends, Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar said 403 cases were registered based on complaints from people aged above 60 during the period.“Senior citizens lost Rs 55 crore in 113 trading fraud cases. Cybercriminals lure victims through WhatsApp and Telegram with promises of exorbitant returns from forex and stock market trading using fake apps. Similarly, victims lost Rs 31 crore in 69 digital arrest cases,” the CP said.The highest number of cases involved OTP fraud, with 115 cases and losses of nearly Rs 5 crore.In a recent case, a 75-year-old retired government officer from Jubilee Hills was allegedly lured with a part-time job offer on WhatsApp. “After gaining his trust through minor payouts, the scammers moved him to a Telegram group for foreign exchange trading. They showed fake profits on a dashboard and extorted Rs 96 lakh from him in the guise of withdrawal and processing fees,” police said.In another case, a victim lost Rs 85 lakh after following the instructions of a khaki-clad man who impersonated a Mumbai police officer during a WhatsApp video call.The number of cases has shown a decline compared with 2025. “In 2025, victims lost Rs 71 crore in 285 cases, an average of 24 cases a month. Till July 2026, the financial loss stood at Rs 30 crore in 118 cases, with the monthly average dropping to 17,” police said.Police said immediate reporting by victims had enabled cybercrime personnel to quickly freeze fraudulent bank accounts during the ‘golden hour’ and initiate recovery of the funds..
