Chandigarh Company Loses Rs 1.96 Crore in WhatsApp Impersonation Scam
A Chandigarh-based company was defrauded of Rs 1.96 crore through a sophisticated cyber scam involving WhatsApp impersonation, according to local police reports. The incident occurred on April 15, when an accounts officer received a message from a fraudster posing as the company's Managing Director, Ranjan Jain. The impostor used a cloned profile with Jain’s name and photograph but operated from a different mobile number. Urging immediate action for official purposes, the fraudster instructed the employee to transfer funds via NEFT to a bank account in Noida. Believing the request to be legitimate, the employee transferred the money without independent verification. The fraud was discovered only after the complainant, Sanjeev Agarwal, verified the transaction and realized the WhatsApp number did not belong to the managing director. Although the company immediately contacted banks to freeze the beneficiary account, the funds had already been dispersed across multiple accounts, complicating recovery efforts. An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police are currently investigating the case, tracing the accused, and tracking the flow of funds, highlighting the growing risk of cyber fraud through messaging platforms.
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Chandigarh Company Loses Rs 1.96 Crore in WhatsApp Impersonation Scam
A Chandigarh-based company was defrauded of Rs 1.96 crore through a sophisticated cyber scam involving WhatsApp impersonation, according to local police reports. The incident occurred on April 15, when an accounts officer received a message from a fraudster posing as the company's Managing Director, Ranjan Jain. The impostor used a cloned profile with Jain’s name and photograph but operated from a different mobile number. Urging immediate action for official purposes, the fraudster instructed the employee to transfer funds via NEFT to a bank account in Noida. Believing the request to be legitimate, the employee transferred the money without independent verification. The fraud was discovered only after the complainant, Sanjeev Agarwal, verified the transaction and realized the WhatsApp number did not belong to the managing director. Although the company immediately contacted banks to freeze the beneficiary account, the funds had already been dispersed across multiple accounts, complicating recovery efforts. An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police are currently investigating the case, tracing the accused, and tracking the flow of funds, highlighting the growing risk of cyber fraud through messaging platforms.
The Indian Express