Using fake WhatsApp DP, conmen rob ₹95L from firm

Hyderabad: Fraudsters used the WhatsApp display picture (DP) and name of the managing director of a construction and infrastructure company to trick an employee into transferring ₹94.8 lakh to three of their bank accounts. On the complaint of the victims, Hyderabad Cyber Crime police registered a cheating case on Friday.

The complaint was lodged by a 31-year-old project manager of the Banjara Hills-based company who is also their authorised representative. The complainant said that their insurance manager received a WhatsApp message at 11.13 am on May 13 from an unknown number. “The account carried the DP of our company MD. The sender first asked about the balance available in the company’s accounts and then instructed the manager to urgently transfer ₹46.2 lakh to the account of a charitable trust. Believing the message to be genuine, the manager processed the payment as he knew that the MD was out of station,” the complainant said.

Police said the fraudster later directed two more transfers of ₹38.6 lakh to a builder and ₹10 lakh to a training and consulting company on the same day. When he further demanded ₹10.6 lakh transfer, the company staff directly contacted the MD as the balance in the company account was exhausted.

The fraud came to light when the managing director said that he did not issue any instructions for the money transfers. A case was registered on Friday under Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act and Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.