Pharma Firm Employee Tricked by Fraudster Posing as CEO on WhatsApp, Loses Rs 99 Lakh
Kochi: A pharmaceutical company based in Kochi has allegedly lost Rs 99 lakh after an unidentified fraudster impersonated the company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on WhatsApp and tricked an accounts department employee into transferring the money to another bank account.
According to the complaint, the alleged incident took place on October 16. The Kochi City Cyber police have registered a case in connection with the fraud.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the accused allegedly hacked a mobile phone used by the company's accounts department and saved a phone number under the name of the company's CEO. The fraudster reportedly used the display picture associated with the CEO's WhatsApp account to make the impersonation appear genuine.
The accused then allegedly contacted employees in the accounts department through WhatsApp, posing as the company's chief executive. By impersonating the senior executive, the fraudster reportedly convinced a female staff member to transfer Rs 99 lakh to another bank account.
The alleged incident involved the misuse of the CEO's identity to deceive company personnel and induce a financial transaction. The use of a familiar name and display picture reportedly helped the accused present the communication as if it had originated from the company's senior management.
The Hindu reports that the Kochi City Cyber police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
