Cyber fraud impersonates owner’s son to cheat firm of Rs 18L

Lucknow: In what police believe could be first case reported in Lucknow of a company targeted through a WhatsApp impersonation scam, a city-based private firm was duped of Rs 18 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as close family member of a senior company official to manipulate the accounts department into transferring funds. The FIR came to light on Wednesday.

According to complaint lodged with Cyber Crime police station and DCP (crime), the fraud took place when a WhatsApp message was received on the company’s accounts department number from an unknown mobile number. The sender of the message impersonated the son of the company’s authorised signatory and sought urgent transfer of Rs 18 lakh for a business transaction. Believing the request to be genuine, the company processed the RTGS transfer after internal approval procedures were completed.

The amount was transferred from the company’s HDFC Bank account in Lucknow to an account in an IndusInd Bank branch in Delhi, said the complaint.

The fraud surfaced shortly after the transaction when the authorised signatory contacted his son to verify the payment and discovered that no such request was made.

Police sources said the case reflects a growing trend of “executive impersonation” or “WhatsApp business compromise” frauds, where cyber criminals exploit urgency, trust and internal corporate communication systems to deceive company officials into making high-value transfers.

The incident was subsequently reported to the Cyber Crime police station and also uploaded on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Investigators have obtained screenshots of the WhatsApp conversation and banking details used in the transaction.

Cyber Crime police are tracing the beneficiary bank account, mobile numbers and digital trail associated with the fraud.