Bengaluru, December 27: A shocking incident of online fraud has come to light from Karnataka's Bengaluru, where a woman working as chief accounts officer (CAO) with a tech company was allegedly duped of INR 56 lakh. The fraud began when the woman CEO received a WhatsApp message from a mobile number, who claimed to be the MD of her company. The fraudsters tricked the CAO in the name of the managing director (MD) by faking the latter's WhatsApp credentials.

According to a report in The Times of India, the CAO received a WhatsApp message on December 5 from a mobile number which had the MD's photo as a display picture and a cover photo of the company's logo. The so-called MD sent a message to the CAO, which read, "I am the MD, I am finalising a project and we need to pay Rs 56 lakh as security deposit for the project. Initiate payment from the company's account." Trusting the message to be genuine, the woman CAO transferred INR 56 lakh to two bank accounts provided by the sender. Digital Arrest Scam in Bengaluru: Fraudsters Posing As Mumbai Crime Branch Officers Hold Senior Citizen Under ‘Digital Arrest’ for 7 Days, Dupe INR 1.94 Crore From Victim.

Victim Transferred Money Without Cross Checking With Company's MD

However, doubts began to creep in when the CAO completed the transactions. To confirm the authenticity of the message, the CAO emailed her MD only to learn that the number was not his and that he had not contacted her. Realising that she was cheated, the next day, the woman approached the police and lodged a complaint. The police quickly sprung into action and traced the money trail.

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Bengaluru, December 27: A shocking incident of online fraud has come to light from Karnataka's Bengaluru, where a woman working as chief accounts officer (CAO) with a tech company was allegedly duped of INR 56 lakh. The fraud began when the woman CEO received a WhatsApp message from a mobile number, who claimed to be the MD of her company. The fraudsters tricked the CAO in the name of the managing director (MD) by faking the latter's WhatsApp credentials.

According to a report in The Times of India, the CAO received a WhatsApp message on December 5 from a mobile number which had the MD's photo as a display picture and a cover photo of the company's logo. The so-called MD sent a message to the CAO, which read, "I am the MD, I am finalising a project and we need to pay Rs 56 lakh as security deposit for the project. Initiate payment from the company's account." Trusting the message to be genuine, the woman CAO transferred INR 56 lakh to two bank accounts provided by the sender. Digital Arrest Scam in Bengaluru: Fraudsters Posing As Mumbai Crime Branch Officers Hold Senior Citizen Under ‘Digital Arrest’ for 7 Days, Dupe INR 1.94 Crore From Victim.

Victim Transferred Money Without Cross Checking With Company's MD

However, doubts began to creep in when the CAO completed the transactions. To confirm the authenticity of the message, the CAO emailed her MD only to learn that the number was not his and that he had not contacted her. Realising that she was cheated, the next day, the woman approached the police and lodged a complaint. The police quickly sprung into action and traced the money trail.

Cops Find Cryptocurrency Connection in Online Fraud

During the probe, cops learned that the money was moved across multiple bank accounts, one of which was registered in Hyderabad under the name of Sai Kumar. Cops in Bengaluru coordinated with senior officers in Hyderabad, who traced and apprehended Kumar. During interrogation, Kumar said that he had opened the bank account at the direction of a gang led by Grishma, who paid him INR 10,000 to INR 15,000 for every INR 10 lakh routed through his account.

Accused Arranged Mule Accounts After Being Promised Higher Earnings

Acting on this lead, cops raided Grishma's apartment on December 8 and arrested her along with her associates. During questioning, officials found that Grishma was a cryptocurrency trader who told them that she was approached by an unidentified individual during her dealings with a crypto company. The accused claimed she was promised higher earnings if she collaborated with the said person. She was also made to download and register on an app called U-homeEX. Online Fraud in Bengaluru: Woman Tries to Buy African Grey Parrot, Duped of INR 30,000; Case Registered.

Officials said that Grishma's role in the cryptocurrency gang was to arrange mule accounts where money from cyber frauds was transferred. Post which, she would withdraw the cash and convert it into USDT (a cryptocurrency) before selling it back to the anonymous individual at a higher price. The investigation also revealed that Grishma was working with her former classmates, whom she paid INR 1500 per day to run the operation. While Grishmas and her five associates have been arrested, the police are yet to identify the mastermind.

The police also seized an Audi A4 car, mobile phones, and cash and froze INR 5 lakh in bank accounts.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2024 05:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).