A Mumbai-based private company has fallen victim to a sophisticated WhatsApp-based scam, losing nearly two crore rupees after fraudsters posed as its director, highlighting a rising trend in cyber crimes targeting corporate staff.
A Mumbai private company has reportedly lost ₹1.98 crore after fraudsters posed on WhatsApp as its director and pushed an accounts executive into making an urgent transfer, according to The Free Press Journal. The complainant, a 48-year-old general manager responsible for accounts and banking, said the message appeared to come from director Saleh N. Mithiborwala because the account used his photograph and name, making the request look genuine.
According to the report, the scam began on August 4, when the worker received a message from a number claiming to be the director’s new contact. The next day, the same account said a client payment of ₹1.98 crore needed to be sent immediately and supplied bank details for the beneficiary. Believing the instruction was legitimate, the executive moved the money from the company’s ICICI Bank current account. The real director later called to ask about the debit, exposing the fraud.
The man then filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Helpline, and police were given the full WhatsApp exchange as evidence, The Free Press Journal said. The complaint seeks action against the phone number used in the impersonation and against the holder of the account that received the funds.
The case fits a wider pattern of WhatsApp-based corporate fraud in Mumbai. Mid-Day reported that the city crime branch recently arrested six people in a separate ₹10.40 crore cyber fraud case, while freezing ₹5.63 crore and widening its investigation across several states. Other recent reports from The 420, the Economic Times and The Times of India have described similar schemes in which criminals used fake director profiles, altered contact details or malicious files to trick staff into authorising large transfers, with losses ranging from about ₹1.3 crore to ₹4.4 crore.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
