Representational Image— DC File

HYDERABAD: Special team from Hyderabad cybercrime unit were probing a complaint regarding a ₹2.7 crore scam, where a gang allegedly impersonated and hacked the WhatsApp account of a city-based supermarket owner and siphoned off money after diverting the attention of his accountant.

According to Md Abdul Sattar, accountant, who lodged a complaint, the gang imposed company CEO Zia-Ur-Rehman’s picture on the DP, making him believe that the message came from his employer, and siphoned ₹2.7 crore in 17 instalments.

Police said the gang manipulated and managed automated deletion of previous conversations between the CEO and Sattar. The messages sent by the CEO to Sattar were then entered via a fresh number with the CEO's name. It was strongly suspected that there is an inside hand at work, a cybercrime officer said on Tuesday.

Sattar, in his complaint stated that he first received a zip file from the WhatsApp number of an employee of the company. Despite an alert citing ‘It might be malicious₹. he opened the file from his system that immediately hung. Assuming that it was a technical issue he got the system restored and resumed work, police said.

Sattar stated that he grew suspicious after his previous conversations with the CEO got automatically deleted and another contact appeared with a different number but assumed that the CEO might have taken a new number.
After gaining Sattar’s confidence by impersonating the CEO, the cybercriminals instructed him to transfer company funds to multiple accounts from October 1 till October 8, Sattar stated in his complaint.

Cybercrime police, after registering a complaint, began an effort to trace the gang via their accounts in multiple banks where the money was diverted.

Officials said that even on October 9, the gang hacked the account's mobile through a malafide software and tried to extract another ₹50 lakh. Sattar directly contacted the CEO and was shocked to learn that he was duped and later lodged a complaint.


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