Cybercriminals in Prayagraj, who earlier lured victims with fake stock-market profit schemes and digital arrest scams, have now shifted their targets towards unemployed youth by offering high-paying work-from-home jobs. Over two dozen cases have surfaced in which residents were tricked through WhatsApp and Telegram messages promising easy earnings.
One among the victims, Satyendra Kumar of Ganganagar Rajapur, received a Telegram message offering a lucrative work-from-home role. Believing it to be genuine, he contacted the number provided and was given a series of online tasks. Soon after, he realised he had been duped of ₹1.14 lakh. He has lodged a complaint at the Cantonment police station.
In another incident, Rajneesh from Muthiganj received a WhatsApp link claiming he could earn money by spending just a few hours online. Though he initially received ₹50 per task, he was later assigned additional activities, after which he lost ₹71,000 to the fraudsters. The sudden loss left him distressed and prompted him to approach police.
According to DCP (Ganga Nagar) Kuldeep Singh Gunawat, who is also the nodal in-charge of the district cyber cell, many such cases begin when people upload personal details on job search websites. At times, this data is leaked, sold, or ends up on the dark web, where anyone can purchase it. He said that data also gets circulated through call centres, messaging groups on Telegram and WhatsApp, and even through insiders at credit card companies, telecom firms, and banks. The DCP added that large amounts of Aadhaar-linked information have also been breached recently and made available on the dark web.
In the last couple of years, around 120 cyber fraud cases involving amounts above ₹5 lakh have been reported in Prayagraj, with complaints lodged on the National Cyber Crime Portal. The dark web is a hidden part of the internet that cannot be accessed through regular browsers and requires special anonymous tools, which makes such stolen data easy to trade.
{{/usCountry}}In the last couple of years, around 120 cyber fraud cases involving amounts above ₹5 lakh have been reported in Prayagraj, with complaints lodged on the National Cyber Crime Portal. The dark web is a hidden part of the internet that cannot be accessed through regular browsers and requires special anonymous tools, which makes such stolen data easy to trade.
{{/usCountry}}Inspector Anil Kumar Verma of the Cyber Police Station, Prayagraj, said that in the past year, 36 accused were arrested and sent to jail for cyber fraud. Quick action by cyber police also helped freeze over ₹2.04 crore linked to fraudulent transactions, and around ₹50 lakh was returned to victims in 2025. Relief was provided in nearly 30 cases, while investigations continue in several others.
The scale of cybercrime was evident last month, when 15 FIRs were filed within just two days at the Cyber Crime Police Station, with victims collectively losing ₹1.7 crore. Cybercriminals used a mix of fake investment schemes, malicious .apk files, and deceptive links shared on social media to trap unsuspecting users.