Mumbai: A director of a private company lost Rs 60 lakh to a fraudster, who impersonated another director and used his photograph as the WhatsApp display picture (DP) to pull off the fraud.
According to the police, the 52-year-old complainant, a Navi Mumbai resident, is one of the three directors of a Thane-based company. On February 5, he had received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. The sender identified himself as one of the directors, who was in Dubai, saying it was his new WhatsApp number.
Next day, the fraudster inquired about the balance in the company's account, said the complainant. He gave the information assuming that he was communicating with another director, whose photo was displayed as WhatsApp DP.
The conman then asked to transfer Rs60 lakh, saying he was in need of urgent funds for a project. Unsuspecting, the complainant asked the company's accountant to transfer funds in the account provided by the accused.
However, after the amount got debited, the actual director, who was in Dubai, asked the complainant the reason behind such a big transaction. The latter was shocked to learn that he had fallen prey to WhatsApp DP fraud.
