PRAYAGRAJ, April 11 -- Cyber fraudsters have found new hunting grounds-pet lovers, livestock buyers and small investors-and they are striking with polished advertisements, fake documents and irresistible promises. In Prayagraj, a series of such scams has exposed how easily the new modus operandi has caused financial loss with just a few clicks. In one startling case, Shivbhushan Pandey, a resident of Neem Sarai Colony under the Dhoomanganj police station area, was cheated of Rs 3.75 lakh in the name of purchasing goats. Employed with a Rural Development Committee, Pandey needed 110 healthy goats for official work. When he failed to find suitable livestock locally, he turned to the internet-where a professional-looking Google search listing offered goats at attractive prices. The advertisement appeared genuine, and the seller sounded reassuring. On January 2, Pandey was contacted by a man introducing himself as Sunil Chawla of SCM Goat Farm. To build confidence, the caller shared copies of a GST certificate, Aadhaar card and PAN card. Convinced he was dealing with a legitimate supplier, Pandey placed an order on January 19. Payments were made in parts-one by cheque on January 24, and the rest via RTGS on January 28. The delivery was promised within 20 days. The goats never arrived. Excuses followed, then threats of false legal cases-and finally, complete silence. Realising he had been duped, Pandey approached the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, after which the Cyber Police registered an FIR and began an investigation. This was not an isolated incident. In another case, a woman from the city searching for a foreign-breed dog for her family was drawn in by glossy photos and persuasive social media chats. She paid Rs 75,000 as advance, but the pet was never delivered. The seller disappeared, prompting her to file a complaint with the Cyber Crime police station. Even big investors are not being spared. A businessman from the Civil Lines area was lured by online advertisements promising massive profits from Kadaknath poultry farming-a GI-tagged Indian chicken breed prized for its black meat and high medicinal value. At first, everything appeared legitimate. Blinded by promises of high returns, he invested Rs 40 lakh in a breeding venture in Rajasthan. Later, the entire project turned out to be a fraud. According to police officials, such scams thrive on lack of awareness and the temptation of quick gains. The DCP Trans Yamuna and nodal in-charge of the Cyber Cell Kuldeep Singh Gunawat has warned people against entering into financial transactions with strangers online, stressing that such deals carry a high risk of cheating. Cyber experts say fraud patterns are expanding rapidly-from fake IPO and stock market schemes to digital arrest scams where fraudsters pose as CBI or police officers to intimidate victims into transferring money, and malicious APK files designed to steal banking details. The scale of losses is alarming in the district....