WhatsApp Hack: How Odisha’s Top IT Official Fell Victim To Cybercrime, Friends Lose Rs 7 Lakh

The chief executive officer of Odisha’s e-governance organisation on Thursday became the latest victim of cybercrime when someone hacked into his WhatsApp account and tricked his friends out of Rs 7 lakh by pretending to be in financial hardship.

Manoj Kumar Pattnaik, chief executive officer of the Odisha computer application centre (OCAC), which powers several e-governance initiatives of the Odisha government, claimed that five of his contacts transferred 7 lakh to a bank account after receiving WhatsApp messages indicating that he needed money for treatment. Assuming the communications were legitimate, some of Pattnaik’s close friends sent money to the fraudster’s bank and UPI accounts.

“On Tuesday afternoon, I received an unknown call on WhatsApp. The caller didn’t say anything, and I hung up after around 30 seconds,” Patnaik said.

ALSO READ: Search All India Police Station Phone Numbers & Mail ID Through This Search Engine

Patnaik discovered the hacking of his WhatsApp account hours later when several of his friends informed him that they had received a message from him asking for money. Soon after, he received a barrage of phone calls from his connections, including his office colleagues, who wired money to the scammer.

“Around 3.20 p.m., I received a call from a friend who inquired about my health and informed me of a distress message sent from my WhatsApp to his phone, requesting urgent financial assistance for my treatment. I discovered that someone had hacked my WhatsApp,” Pattnaik explained. He added that he did not click on any harmful links given by the accused.

ALSO READ: Step By Step Guide: How To File Cybercrime Complaint Online In India

The cybercrime wing eventually filed its own complaint, with a deputy superintendent of police taking over the probe. Patnaik stated that he would file a formal complaint with police on Friday.

Some of his contacts who were victims of the phishing communications have already filed police reports.

According to National Crime Records Bureau statistics, Odisha saw a 30 percent increase in cybercrime last year compared to 2019, with many unknowing people falling victim to such crimes during online payment and UPI transactions. According to the NCRB data, a total of 1,931 cybercrime events were reported in 2020, a 30.03 percent rise from 1,485 the previous year and an astounding 129% increase from 843 in 2018.

According to the NCRB’s ‘Crime in India 2020’ study, the rate of cybercrime in Odisha was 4.2 per lakh people, higher than the national average of 3.7. Odisha had the most occurrences of defamation, morphing, and indecent representation of women, with 220 cases.

Follow The420.in on

 Telegram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube