DGP unveils ‘behavioural vaccine’ to counter rise in cybercrime

DGP OP Singh today rolled out what he termed a “behavioural vaccine” to counter the rising wave of online fraud, unveiling the ‘PVR model’ — pause, verify, report — at a cybersecurity Townhall in Gurugram. Calling it a shield that gives citizens a two-second tactical edge over cybercriminals, the DGP said the model could stop financial disasters that often begin with “a message, a click, or a moment of panic.”

Singh began with a blunt assessment of the threat landscape, noting that cybercrime has grown from a marginal concern to “a mass-scale threat woven into daily digital life.” Haryana, he pointed out, records tens of thousands of online fraud complaints every year, with losses amounting to hundreds of crores. But the real battleground, he stressed, lies not in devices but in human psychology.

“Scammers hack the mind before they hack the device,” he said, explaining that almost every fraud attempt exploits six emotional triggers — fear, urgency, trust, curiosity, greed, or carelessness.

A threat of electricity disconnection preys on fear, a bank warning uses urgency, an impersonated authority figure leverages trust, a reward link provokes greed, a mysterious message feeds curiosity and an OTP request capitalises on carelessness.

“These six vulnerabilities,” Singh said, “are the scammer’s favourite toolkit. Our citizens need a counter-toolkit that is even simpler.”

The counter, he explained, is the PVR Model — a behavioural reflex designed for ordinary users navigating a flood of digital communication.

“Every scam begins by stealing your calm. A single pause of two to three seconds is enough to let fear or excitement drain away. When you pause, their plan collapses,” he said. The second step, he added, is to verify — check the source, question the urgency, examine the number and avoid unknown links.

The final step is report. “If a message still feels suspicious, citizens must call 1930, the national cyber helpline,” he urged.

Singh said the PVR initiative is part of Haryana’s wider cyber safety architecture built over the past two years. This framework includes a round-the-clock 1930 Helpline staffed with trained officers, 29 Cyber Police Stations, cyber cells in every sub-division, and a state-of-the-art forensic cyber lab with 56 specialists. The state has also adopted a victim-friendly mechanism allowing refund of frozen funds without an FIR, fast-track resolution through Permanent Lok Adalats, and extensive digital and on-ground awareness campaigns spanning schools, RWAs, markets and workplaces.