The Delhi Police have issued a cyber safety advisory ahead of Deepavali, warning citizens against a spate of online frauds involving fake government gift schemes, fraudulent shopping websites, malicious greeting cards and digital payment scams during the festive season.The advisory, issued by the Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit, cautions that cybercriminals exploit the increase in online shopping and digital transactions during the festive period to dupe people through phishing links, fake offers and AI-enabled deception.Among the scams flagged by the police is a viral WhatsApp message falsely attributed to the Prime Minister or the Central Government, promising ₹8,000 as a Deepavali gift to citizens. The police have also warned against malicious APK files circulated as Deepavali greeting cards or wedding invitations, which can compromise users’ devices when installed.Fraudsters are also creating fake e-commerce websites resembling popular platforms such as Amazon, Meesho and Flipkart, offering discounts of up to 90% on smartphones, electronics and gold bonds to lure unsuspecting buyers.
Other common methods include callers impersonating courier company executives to extract personal and banking details, fake lottery and bonus messages, and fraudulent customer care numbers through which victims are persuaded to install remote-access applications such as AnyDesk and UltraViewer.The advisory also flags fake charity and donation appeals circulated through fraudulent QR codes and UPI IDs.Urging citizens to exercise caution, the police have advised people against clicking on unsolicited gift, lottery or scratch-card links received through WhatsApp, SMS or Telegram, even if forwarded by known contacts. They have also cautioned against downloading APK files shared through messaging platforms and sharing banking OTPs or UPI PINs with anyone claiming to be a bank official, courier executive or customer care representative.The police clarified that QR codes are used to make payments and not to receive money, warning people against scanning unfamiliar codes on the pretext of receiving funds.
Citizens have also been advised to verify website addresses carefully, use official shopping applications and independently check courier companies’ customer care numbers instead of relying on numbers shared by callers. Cash on delivery has been recommended when shopping through unfamiliar or less-established online portals.In case of financial fraud, citizens have been advised to immediately contact their banks to block cards and suspend access to net banking, and call the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 without delay.
They can also register complaints on the government’s cybercrime reporting portal, www.cybercrime.gov.in.The police stressed that prompt reporting can help authorities initiate action to freeze the money transferred to fraudsters’ accounts. Published - November 07, 2026 06:45 am IST