WhatsApp account of a businessman hacked, friends duped to the tune of ₹1.7 lakh

In a case of online impersonation and cyber fraud, an unidentified person hacked a WhatsApp account belonging to a city-based businessman and impersonated him, and cheated several of his friends of over ₹1.7 lakh. 

According to the complaint, the incident occurred on Friday when the victim received a missed call from an unknown mobile number. He returned the call and the person on the other end claimed to be a representative from a reputed courier company, informed him about a pending parcel and advised them to contact a customer care number for further details.

Soon after, the caller shared a “customer care” number via SMS. When the complainant dialed the number, their phone and WhatsApp account were immediately hacked. The accused then allegedly accessed the victim’s contact list and began sending messages to friends and relatives, seeking money citing an emergency situation.

Believing the messages to be genuine, some contacts transferred money to various UPI accounts provided by the fraudsters totalling to ₹1.7 lakh. 

A formal complaint has been lodged with the cybercrime police on Saturday. The police are now trying to track down the accused through the money trail.