The Growing Cybercrime Landscape in Haryana
Cybercrime is no longer a fringe problem; it has become a mainstream threat that targets individuals, small businesses, and government bodies alike. In 2023, India reported a 27 % increase in phishing attacks and a 19 % rise in ransomware incidents, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs' cyber‑crime annual report[^1]. Haryana, with its rapidly expanding digital economy and high smartphone penetration, mirrors the national trend. A 2022 survey by the Cyber Crime Cell of Haryana revealed that 42 % of respondents had encountered a suspicious digital message in the past year, and 15 % fell victim to financial loss.
The state's law‑enforcement leadership recognised that traditional reactive policing was insufficient. Instead of merely chasing perpetrators after the fact, Haryana needed a proactive, community‑driven defence. That realization set the stage for harnessing the PVR model as a cornerstone of the state’s fight against cybercrime.
What Is the PVR Model? Core Elements Explained
The PVR model—short for Pause, Verify, Report—is a simple three‑step behavioural protocol designed to interrupt the emotional triggers cybercriminals rely on. It works as follows:
| Step | Action | What It Looks Like |
|---|---|---|
| Pause | Stop before you click, call, or reply. | Resist the urge to act on urgency or fear. |
| Verify | Check the authenticity of the sender or message. | Use official websites, contact numbers, or two‑factor authentication. |
| Report | Send the suspicious content to the appropriate authority. | Forward to the police cyber‑crime helpline, email‑phishing portal, or app‑based reporting tool. |
By harnessing the PVR model, individuals develop a habit loop that makes scams harder to succeed. The model is deliberately language‑neutral, making it easy to translate into local dialects and to embed in school curricula, corporate training, and public service announcements.
Psychology of Scams: Why ‘Pause, Verify, Report’ Works
Scammers exploit two cognitive shortcuts: urgency and authority. When a message claims that a bank account will be frozen within minutes, the brain’s threat‑response system kicks in, prompting a rapid, often irrational action. The Pause step injects a deliberate delay, giving the pre‑frontal cortex time to evaluate the situation.
Verification taps into the human tendency to seek confirmation from trusted sources. A quick search for the bank’s official phone number or a glance at the URL’s SSL certificate can expose a fake.
Finally, Report creates a social feedback loop. When a victim reports an attempt, the data feeds into law‑enforcement analytics, improving threat intelligence for the entire community. Studies on behavioural nudges show that a single, well‑placed prompt can increase compliance by up to 42 %[^2]. Harnessing the PVR model therefore aligns with proven behavioural science.
How Haryana DGP O.P. Singh Launched the Initiative
During a high‑profile cybersecurity town‑hall held in Chandigarh on 12 April 2024, Haryana’s Director General of Police, O.P. Singh, announced the formal rollout of the PVR model. The event, covered by Devdiscourse[^3], highlighted three pillars of the launch:
- Legislative Backing – An amendment to the Haryana Police Act mandates that all public agencies must integrate the PVR framework into their communication guidelines.
- Technology Enablement – A dedicated mobile app, Haryana Secure, allows citizens to pause, verify, and instantly report suspicious content with a single tap.
- Community Outreach – Over 5,000 volunteers from NGOs, schools, and senior‑citizen groups were trained to spread the message in rural and urban pockets alike.
By harnessing the PVR model, the DGP aimed to turn every smartphone user into a first line of defence, thereby amplifying the state’s fight against cybercrime.
Practical Implementation: A Step‑by‑Step Guide for Citizens
Below is a concise, actionable checklist that anyone in Haryana can follow the next time a digital message raises a red flag.
1. Pause
- Resist instant action. Close the app or email window for at least 30 seconds.
- Look for red flags: poor grammar, mismatched logos, unusual sender addresses.
2. Verify
- Cross‑check the sender. Search the organization’s official website or call a known number.
- Inspect links. Hover (on desktop) or press‑hold (on mobile) to view the full URL before clicking.
- Use two‑factor authentication (2FA). If the request involves account access, ensure 2FA is enabled.
3. Report
- Use the Haryana Secure app. Tap the ‘Report Scam’ button, attach a screenshot, and submit.
- Call the cyber‑crime helpline: 155260 (available 24/7).
- Notify the originating platform. Most messaging services have built‑in ‘Report Spam’ features.
Quick Reference Table
| Situation | What to Do | Where to Report |
|---|---|---|
| Suspicious SMS from “BankX” | Verify the number on the bank’s official site | Haryana Secure app or 155260 |
| Unexpected email attachment | Do not open; scan with antivirus | Email provider’s phishing portal |
| Social media direct message asking for money | Pause, ask a friend, verify profile | Platform’s report feature |
By consistently harnessing the PVR model, citizens reduce the success rate of scams and contribute to a richer dataset for law enforcement.
Roles for Businesses, Schools, and Community Groups
Businesses
- Integrate PVR prompts into internal communications (e.g., email footers stating “If you receive a suspicious request, pause, verify, and report”).
- Host quarterly workshops for employees on the PVR workflow.
- Share anonymised incident data with the Haryana Police to improve threat mapping.
Educational Institutions
- Curriculum inclusion. Add a module on digital hygiene that teaches the PVR steps.
- Student ambassadors. Train senior students to mentor peers on how to apply the model.
- Parent outreach. Conduct webinars for families, especially targeting senior citizens who are frequent scam targets.
Community Groups & NGOs
- Grass‑roots campaigns using local languages (Haryanvi, Hindi) to explain the three words of the PVR model.
- Door‑to‑door awareness drives in villages where internet literacy may be lower.
- Collaboration with telecom operators to send periodic SMS reminders about pausing before clicking.
When every stakeholder adopts the same language—Pause, Verify, Report—the ecosystem becomes resilient, and the collective fight against cybercrime gains momentum.
Early Metrics: Measuring the Impact of Harnessing the PVR Model
Although the program launched only a few months ago, preliminary data points to promising results:
- Report Volume: The Haryana Secure app logged 12,847 scam reports in the first 60 days, a 68 % increase from the previous reporting method.
- Resolution Rate: Police cyber‑crime units successfully closed 4,213 cases linked to PVR‑reported incidents, translating to a 52 % closure rate versus 31 % historically.
- Public Awareness: A post‑campaign survey indicated that 79 % of respondents now understand the three steps, up from 34 % before the launch.
These numbers suggest that harnessing the PVR model is not just a slogan but a measurable tool in Haryana’s fight against cybercrime.
Key Takeaways
- Simple Behavioural Change: The three‑word mantra—Pause, Verify, Report—creates a repeatable habit that disrupts scammers’ tactics.
- Community‑Centric Defense: By empowering citizens, Haryana shifts from a reactive to a proactive stance in its cyber‑crime fight.
- Technology Integration: The Haryana Secure app streamlines reporting and feeds real‑time data to law‑enforcement analysts.
- Scalable Framework: The model can be adapted by other Indian states and even international jurisdictions seeking low‑cost, high‑impact cyber‑security solutions.
- Early Success: Increased reporting, higher case‑closure rates, and growing public awareness demonstrate that harnessing the PVR model yields tangible benefits within months.
Future Directions for Haryana’s Fight Against Cybercrime
The next phase focuses on deepening the PVR habit and expanding its reach:
- AI‑Powered Alert System – Integrate machine‑learning models into the Haryana Secure app to flag potential scams before the user interacts with them.
- Legislative Incentives – Offer tax credits to businesses that conduct regular PVR training for employees.
- Cross‑State Collaboration – Share anonymised data with neighboring states (Punjab, Delhi) to build a regional threat‑intelligence network.
- International Partnerships – Align with INTERPOL’s cyber‑crime working groups to track cross‑border scam syndicates.
By continuously refining the approach and keeping the public at the centre of the strategy, Haryana aims to set a national benchmark for harnessing the PVR model as a decisive weapon in the fight against cybercrime.
The fight against cybercrime is never finished, but with the PVR model, every citizen of Haryana holds a key piece of the solution.
[^1]: Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Annual Cyber‑Crime Report 2023. https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/Annual%20Cyber%20Crime%20Report%202023.pdf [^2]: Behavioural Insights Team. Nudge Theory and Digital Security. https://www.bi.team/research/nudge-theory-digital-security [^3]: Devdiscourse. Harnessing the PVR model: Haryana’s fight against cybercrime. https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/3722714-harnessing-the-pvr-model-haryanas-fight-against-cybercrime