Vadodara: A businessman from the city was allegedly duped of Rs 60 lakh after cybercriminals gained unauthorised access to his office computer through malware sent via email and later impersonated him on WhatsApp.Uday Shah, who is involved in the chemical business, has lodged a complaint of cheating at the Cybercrime police station.According to Shah’s complaint, on Aug 19, he was discussing his business finances with his accountant, Sonal Kandoi. She told him that she had received WhatsApp messages from him instructing her to transfer Rs 60 lakh to two separate bank accounts. Shah was surprised and told her that he had not sent any such messages.When Kandoi showed him the messages, Shah discovered that the WhatsApp account used to contact her carried his photograph as its display picture. He then realised that the fraudsters had created a fake WhatsApp account in his name to deceive his accountant.Police suspect that the accused first sent an email containing malware in a Zip file, which was opened on Aug 19. The malware allegedly enabled the fraudsters to gain access to Shah’s office computer and his WhatsApp web account, through which they obtained his photograph and other information.Cybercrime police are currently investigating the case and attempting to trace the bank accounts into which the money was transferred.Police have urged citizens and businesses to exercise caution and avoid opening suspicious or unsolicited files received through email or WhatsApp, as such files may contain malware capable of compromising computers and online accounts.
