Mumbai Police’s quick intervention on a WhatsApp impersonation scam prevented a private company’s loss of nearly ₹2 crore, highlighting rising cyber fraud threats involving AI cloning and urgent messaging tactics.
Mumbai Police said their cyber helpline helped stop a WhatsApp impersonation scam from inflicting a much larger loss on a private company, recovering ₹1.83 crore after fraudsters posed as a director and tricked an accounts manager into sending money to a false account.
According to the police, the complainant received a WhatsApp message on August 6 from a number using the director’s name and photograph, with the sender claiming it was a new personal contact. The message urged an immediate transfer of ₹1.98 crore, which the employee made from the company account before checking with the real director on the original mobile number and discovering the deception.
After the fraud came to light, the complainant approached the South Division Cyber Police Station and called Cyber Helpline 1930. Police said officers and bank officials moved quickly to freeze the destination account, preventing the loss of nearly 92% of the stolen sum. The recovery was credited to work led by Senior Police Inspector Nandkumar Gopale, with assistance from Assistant Police Inspector Ishan Kharote, Cyber Helpline officer Poonam Jadhav, Police Head Constable Kiran Patil and Woman Police Constable Sarika Shegar.
The case fits a wider pattern of impersonation scams that have become common on messaging apps in India, where fraudsters exploit urgency and familiarity to pressure victims into making transfers before verification. In a separate example this year, CoinDCX co-founder Sumit Gupta announced a ₹100 crore cyber fund after an impersonation incident, saying criminals were increasingly using artificial intelligence to clone voices and identities. Mumbai Police have urged companies and individuals to confirm financial instructions through trusted channels, check unfamiliar numbers even when they display a senior executive’s name or photograph and report suspected cyber fraud immediately.
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.
