Fake Messages Sent To Officials Using Collector’s Photograph As Display Picture
The collector said he had learnt that messages were being sent from the number +66 98 476 2993 using his name and photograph as the WhatsApp display picture.
WARANGAL: Cyber fraudsters have allegedly been using the name and photograph of Mulugu district collector Borkhade Hemant Sahadevrao to send fake WhatsApp messages to officials and unsuspecting individuals.
The collector said he had learnt that messages were being sent from the number +66 98 476 2993 using his name and photograph as the WhatsApp display picture. He clarified that people should not assume that such messages were genuine merely because they carried his name and photograph.
He advised recipients not to respond to messages from the number and to immediately block and report it on WhatsApp.
The collector warned people not to share money, gift cards, personal details, bank account information or confidential passwords if such information was sought through the messages.
He said using the names and photographs of public figures and senior officials to gain the trust of victims was emerging as a common tactic adopted by cyber fraudsters.
With fake messages being circulated in his name, the collector urged officials and staff to exercise caution and advised anyone receiving suspicious messages in his name to lodge a complaint with the cybercrime police.
“The name and photograph may belong to the Collector, but the message is from cyber fraudsters,” he cautioned, urging the public, officials and staff to remain vigilant against such attempts.
