Hyderabad police warn voters against OTP fraud during SIR 2026 drive

Hyderabad Police have warned voters against cyber fraudsters posing as election officials during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Citizens have been advised never to share OTPs or banking details and to report suspicious calls to the Cyber Crime Helpline.

Hyderabad: City Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar has urged the voters to remain alert against cyber fraudsters posing as election officials and seeking One-Time Passwords (OTPs) under the pretext of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 of electoral rolls.

The advisory comes amid concerns that scammers are attempting to exploit the ongoing voter verification process to steal personal and financial information.

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The Commissioner, in an advisory issued on Thursday, said fraudsters may impersonate BLOs or Election Commission officials and claim that an OTP is required to update voter details or verify names in the electoral roll.

He clarified that neither the Election Commission of India nor BLOs ever ask citizens to share OTPs over phone calls. “Sharing such confidential information could expose bank accounts and personal data to cyber criminals,” he said.

Sajjanar advised voters never to disclose OTPs, banking credentials or any sensitive personal information to unknown callers.

The commissioner stressed that OTPs should only be entered on official Election Commission platforms whenever required for genuine voter-related services.

He also appealed to the citizens to immediately disconnect suspicious calls, report such incidents to the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or the nearest police station.