Hyderabad: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) successfully prevented a cyber fraud attempt amounting to Rs 1.95 crore in Hyderabad.
On March 13, at 1451 hours, TGCSB received a complaint regarding a suspicious financial transaction.
An accounts officer at a company had earlier received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number displaying the profile picture of the company’s Chairman and Managing Director (CMD). The sender, impersonating the CMD, claimed it was regarding a new project and requested an advance payment of Rs 1.95 crore to a specified account.
Assuming the request to be genuine, the officer transferred the amount at 1302 hours.
Shortly afterward, the real CMD received a bank notification about the transfer and inquired with the accounts officer. Upon learning that the payment had been made based on a WhatsApp message, the CMD confirmed he had never requested such a transaction. Realising they had been scammed, the company swiftly reported the matter on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
Upon receiving the complaint, NCRP call center officers identified that key transaction details were missing, making it difficult to trace the fraud. Acting quickly, they contacted the complainant, gathered vital information and screenshots, and coordinated with the bank’s nodal officers. Thanks to this prompt intervention, the entire Rs 1.95 crore was successfully saved before the fraudsters could withdraw the funds.
Authorities have advised citizens to exercise caution with financial requests received via WhatsApp, email, or phone calls, even if they appear to come from senior executives. It is strongly recommended to verify payment requests directly through official communication channels before processing transactions.
In cases of suspected fraud, individuals are urged to report incidents immediately via the 1930 Cyber Helpline or www.cybercrime.gov.in to improve the chances of fund recovery, according to a statement from the DGP office here on Friday.
