Fake RBI notice costs Ahmedabad realtor Rs 1.5 crore

Ahmedabad: A WhatsApp message carrying what appeared to be an RBI notice has cost a real estate businessman Rs 1.5 crore. Cyberscammers, allegedly, used a fake regulatory communication to hack into his office computer system and create a cloned WhatsApp account to impersonate him and trick his accountant into transferring the money.The complainant, who runs a real estate business from Bodakdev, received a message, with an attached ZIP file, from an unknown number on June 23. The message claimed the file contained an RBI notice regarding risk control measures and suspicious banking transactions.The presence of the RBI logo in the sender’s display photo lent credibility to the message. The businessman forwarded it to his accountant for verification.The accountant accessed the ZIP file through WhatsApp Web on the office computer, compromising the system and allowing fraudsters to gain access to information and communications.The next day, the fraudsters allegedly created a WhatsApp account using the complainant’s photograph and identity details. Posing as the businessman, they began exchanging routine business messages with the accountant, gradually building trust and avoiding suspicion.

The fraudsters then sent bank account details and instructed the accountant to urgently transfer Rs 1.5 crore through RTGS. To prevent verification, the fraudsters allegedly informed the accountant that the businessman was in an important meeting and would not be available to answer phone calls. The accountant processed the transaction.The fraud came to light when the businessman received a bank alert showing the transfer. He immediately contacted the accountant and rushed to the bank. By then, the money had already been remitted.The victim later approached the cybercrime helpline and lodged a police complaint on Tuesday.