Cybercriminals in Hyderabad are increasingly targeting religious donors through fake zakat appeals, prompting warnings from police and scholars to verify charities and safeguard donations during Ramzan and Eid.
Cyber fraudsters in Hyderabad are increasingly exploiting religious giving, with several mosque and madrasa leaders targeted through false appeals for zakat donations. The latest cases reported from the city’s Old City and parts of Telangana involved callers posing as non-resident Indians and offering money for mosque construction and aid for poor Muslim orphans.
According to local media reports, one imam from the Edi Bazar area received a call on 11 August at about 10.40am from a man claiming to be a Canadian NRI. The caller mentioned the name of a mutual contact and promised a donation, which persuaded the imam to transfer ₹77,000 in three instalments. When no money arrived as promised, he contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930 within an hour. His bank account was frozen and the fraudster later returned the sum through another account.
Another Old City imam and khatib was taken in by a similar ruse on 10 August. In that case, the fraudsters sent a fake transfer message for ₹80,000 and asked for ₹50,000 to be sent back. Trusting the apparent credit alert, he borrowed the amount from his brother and transferred it, only to discover that the promised ₹80,000 had never been deposited. A trustee of the Johera Mosque in Adilabad, Khizr Ahmed Yafi, said he also received a comparable call but grew suspicious and refused the request.
Hyderabad police have repeatedly warned that scammers are exploiting religious sentiment during Ramzan and Eid-related giving, circulating fake charity links, bogus shopping sites and other online traps. Officers have urged people to donate only to trusted organisations and to treat any request for one-time passwords, PINs, CVV numbers or banking credentials as a warning sign. Islamic scholars in the city have long advised donors to verify any institution before parting with zakat money, warning that fraudulent groups can divert alms away from intended recipients.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
