An Ahmedabad-based rice mill has fallen victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud, commonly known as the ‘boss scam,’ losing Rs. 80 lakh after a scammer impersonated the company’s owner on WhatsApp.
According to a police complaint filed by business owner Pradip Ramvani, the fraudster gained access to the accountant Jayesh’s phone by tricking him into installing a malicious file on August 31. The attacker then replaced Ramvani’s genuine contact number with a fake one on the accountant’s phone, using the owner’s photograph as the WhatsApp profile picture to make the deception appear legitimate.
Posing as Ramvani, the scammer sent a WhatsApp message to Jayesh instructing him to transfer Rs. 80 lakh from the company account to a specified bank account for a purported business payment. Believing the request came from his employer, Jayesh carried out the transfer.
The fraud was only discovered when the scammer demanded an additional Rs. 30 lakh. Suspicious, Jayesh spoke directly with Ramvani, and both realized the payment instruction had originated from an unknown number. They then found the malicious file on Jayesh’s phone.
Police have launched an investigation, tracing the unknown WhatsApp number and the beneficiary bank account. They are also examining how the phone was compromised. The case highlights the growing threat of ‘boss scams,’ where cybercriminals impersonate senior officials to trick employees into authorizing fraudulent payments.
Authorities have advised businesses to implement strict verification protocols for financial transactions and to educate employees about such social engineering attacks.