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A director of a tech firm in Bengaluru was cheated out of ₹7.5 lakhs in a carefully orchestrated cyber fraud that involved impersonation over WhatsApp, fake vouchers, and blind trust. Police say the fraud was executed from abroad but targeted local corporate hierarchy to make it seem legitimate.
How the Scam Played Out
The director received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number claiming to be the CEO of his company. The message instructed him to purchase Apple Store vouchers under the pretext of a company requirement. Believing the instructions came directly from his boss, he bought a large number of vouchers worth millions of rupees. Each voucher code was then shared with the fraudsters, who promptly vanished—leaving the codes unusable to the company and the money gone.
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The tech firm did not suspect the CEO was impersonated, because the message came from a number that had the CEO’s name labeled, and everything seemed routine. The process was executed at a pace that avoided giving them time to pause and verify.
Legal Action and Implications
Following the realisation that the transaction was fraudulent, the director filed a complaint with Bengaluru’s Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Division. The FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including cheating and impersonation. Seizure of any phones or accounts is still in progress, as the case unfolds.
The incident serves as a warning to businesses and professionals alike: even inside company communication, fraudsters are using subtle impersonation tools, social engineering, and urgency to trick people into forwarding money or vouchers. Companies are being urged to verify unusual requests, especially if financial transactions are involved—even if they appear to come from a known authority within the organisation.
