WhatsApp Message From 'Boss'? How Hyderabad Firm Nearly Lost Rs 1.95 Crore

'Send Rs 1.95 crore to this account', the accounts officer of a Hyderabad firm was told via WhatsApp. It seemed from a perfectly legitimate source - the company's Chairman and Managing Director - for a perfectly legitimate reason, as advance payment for a new project.

And so Rs 1.95 crore was duly transferred.

Only, it was not a perfectly legitimate message.

The message seemed to come from the MD's WhatsApp account. His photo was in the display section, but it was actually a fraudster who conned the officer into transferring nearly Rs 2 crore.

Fortunately for the MD and his company (and the accounts officer), the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau stopped this 'high-value cyber fraud' and recovered the entire amount.

Received earlier today, the transfer was completed at 1.02 pm.

Shortly after that the real Managing Director received a bank notification and, understandably worried, immediately contacted his accounts officer.

On being told about the 'WhatsApp message', the MD confirmed he made no such request, and the company promptly filed a complaint on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, or NCRP.

The NCRP then swung into action, first to confirm the transaction had occurred and then to track down the money. It was difficult, initially, because certain details were missing.

However, working with the company and the MD, and the bank's nodal officers, the money was eventually located and, miraculously, the entire Rs 1.95 crore was recovered.

Fortunately the criminals had not yet withdrawn any of the cash.

This is far from the first such instance of cybercrime. A large number of men and women, including private individuals and companies, have been duped out of hard-earned money by fake messages and calls, prompting repeated warnings from the government to be careful.

Last week, for example, also in Hyderabad, fraudsters stole Rs 1 crore from a woman on the pretext of investing in the stock market via certain mobile apps. And it is not that celebrities are spared. For example, earlier this month social media influencer Akanksha Thakral lost Rs 1.1 lakh after responding to what she thought was a phone call from an Axis Bank officer.

In December last year the national Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), a unit within the Union Home Ministry, identified and blocked nearly 60,000 WhatsApp accounts used for fraud.

Over 9.94 lakh complaints had been filed with the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System, junior Home Minister Sanjay Bandi told the Lok Sabha.

From these more than Rs 3,431 crore had been saved, he said.

To help combat this problem, the I4C has a dedicated helpline - 1930 - to help citizens who have been defrauded by a cybercriminal.

Meanwhile, Telangana authorities have also issued a list of dos and don'ts for the public.

• Be cautious of money transfer requests via WhatsApp, email, or phone calls, even if they appear to come from senior executives.
• Always verify payment requests directly through formal channels before making transactions.
• If you suspect fraud report it immediately, either via the 1930 helpline or on www.cybercrime.gov.in to increase the chances of recovering your money.

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