Got a message from the boss and transferred 56 lakh rupees, later found out that it was a fraud
Navbharat Times December 27, 2024 12:11 PM
The CAO of a technology company in Bengaluru was duped of Rs 56 lakh through fake WhatsApp messages. Investigation revealed that the money was transferred to multiple accounts. The police have arrested the kingpin of the gang, and interrogation of his associates is underway.
Highlights
- Cyber criminals are also targeting CEOs of companies
- A similar incident happened in Bengaluru recently.
- A CAO received a message in the name of his boss to send Rs 56 lakh
- After transferring the money, I found out that it was a fraud
Bangalore : Bangalore in Karnataka is called the Silicon Valley of India. This news has come from a tech company here. The Chief Accounting Officer or CAO of this company, Andrea (name changed), received a message on WhatsApp in the name of the MD. That message looked like it was sent by the MD of the company. Andrea transferred Rs 56 lakh. Later it was found out that the message was not sent by the MD but by fraudsters.
what happened incident
According to a report in our associate Times of India, cyber fraudsters used the profile picture and company logo of the MD of a tech company and sent a message to the CAO of that company on December 5. It read, "I am the MD, I am finalizing a project, I have to pay a security deposit of Rs 56 lakh. Make the payment from the company's account." Andrea immediately transferred the money to two accounts. Later, when she got suspicious and emailed the MD, she found out that the number was not of the MD. It was also revealed that he had not even sent any message. After this, a complaint was filed with the South-East CEN Crime Police on December 6.
A warning to CFOs and CAOs
This incident is a warning not just for that tech company but for CFOs and CAOs of all companies. Even if the WhatsApp message with the boss's photo does not appear, before transferring money to it, make sure to confirm by talking to him on the phone or in person. Otherwise, you too can become a victim of fraud like this tech company in Bengaluru. In this case, fraudsters imitated the MD's WhatsApp account and trapped the CAO and swindled Rs 56 lakh.
Money transferred to multiple bank accounts
Police Inspector Eshwarani PN and her team have started investigating the case. Investigation revealed that the tech company's money was transferred to several bank accounts. One account was in the name of Sai Kumar in Hyderabad. DCP (South-East) Sara Fatima, along with Hyderabad Police, arrested Kumar.
The account was opened in someone else’s name
Sai Kumar told the police that he had opened the account on the advice of a woman named Grishma. Grishma would give him Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 as commission for every Rs 10 lakh. The police raided Grishma's house and arrested her along with her accomplices on December 8.
Who is Grishma?
It was revealed that Grishma is a cryptocurrency trader. She told that an unknown person had contacted her during her transactions in a crypto company. He lured Grishma with the promise of more earnings. On the advice of that person, Grishma downloaded an app called U-homeEX and registered on it. Grishma's job was to provide bank accounts in which money could be transferred. Then she would withdraw the money and convert it into USDT (a type of cryptocurrency) and sell it to that unknown person, and earn profit.
Add your friends too
Grishma had also involved her old classmates, Dinesh, Harath and Pawan in this work. All three of them had done CA internship together in Kadapa. Grishma used to give them Rs 1,500 daily. An assistant director named Ravi Teja was also involved in this gang. He used to withdraw money from the accounts and buy USDT. The gang said that they were doing this business for the last six months. The police are trying to get the money back.
Lessons for all
This incident shows the growing threat of cyber crime. We should be cautious in online transactions and should not trust any unknown person. Especially when large amounts are being transacted, it is important to think twice and confirm thoroughly. Companies should also train their employees to avoid such frauds.
