Consumer Rights · Scam Alert · October 13, 2026, 9:10 AM CDT
Key Facts
Rediff issued a new alert: WhatsApp Scam Alert: Saying ‘No’ Can…
Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar warned that replying ‘NO’ to unsolicited WhatsApp messages regarding unauthorised bank debits could allow fraudsters to steal your money without needing an OTP or a link.
How it reaches victims: WhatsApp message.
Tactics the source describes: Asks for money.
Forensic Scam Anatomy · Threat Intelligence HIGH THREAT VECTOR
Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar warned that replying ‘NO’ to unsolicited WhatsApp messages regarding unauthorised bank debits could allow fraudsters to steal your money without needing an OTP or a link.
Replying to a WhatsApp message with a ‘NO’ may allow fraudsters to steal your money, according to Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar. He stated that this new type of cyber fraud does not involve an OTP or a link.[1]
What the Scam Looks Like
How it reaches you: WhatsApp message
What Rediff reports scammers do
Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar warned that replying 'NO' to unsolicited WhatsApp messages regarding unauthorised bank debits could allow fraudsters to steal your money without needing an OTP or a link.
Replying to a WhatsApp message with a 'NO' may allow fraudsters to steal your money, according to Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar.
He stated that this new type of cyber fraud does not involve an OTP or a link.
A chartered accountant recently lost several lakhs of rupees in a similar incident, he added.
On October 12, Sajjanar issued a warning about this alleged auto-execution file attack.
He recommended that people should avoid replying to messages about banking transactions received from unknown numbers.
New cyber fraud warning: Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar warned that replying 'NO' to unsolicited WhatsApp messages regarding unauthorised bank debits could allow fraudsters to steal your money without needing an OTP or a link.
Asks for money
Rediff does not publish the exact wording of the whatsapp message, so none is shown. The sentences above are the source’s own description, not a transcript.
How to Protect Yourself
Do not send money because of an unexpected call, text, or email. Hang up and contact the agency or person yourself using a number you look up independently.
How to Verify This Yourself
Read the original alert directly at Rediff — that page is the primary source for everything above.
Investigative methodology: this update was produced by scripts/scam_monitor.py from a real Rediff alert — not a language model. The quoted text above is verbatim from the source; any message or description shown in the illustration is quoted or copied from the source itself (see its caption); when the source does not publish the scam’s wording, none is shown or invented. Protection tips are matched from a fixed keyword list, not generated per story.
Kemetic Minds Editorial Desk
Verified Newsroom
Primary-sourced investigative intelligence on civil rights, voting rights, federal policy, and consumer protection. Sourced from primary legal filings, government statistics, and direct field reporting.