Bengaluru: A real estate firm lost Rs 65 lakh after cyber fraudsters created a fake WhatsApp profile of the company’s owner using his photo as the display picture and tricked an accountant into transferring money.According to a complaint filed by Rajendran BK, managing director of Mythreyi Promoters & Developers Pvt Ltd, the fraud happened after the company’s accountant, Yashwanth, received a WhatsApp message on June 26 from a mobile number displaying Rajendran’s name and photograph.Believing the message had genuinely come from Rajendran, Yashwanth responded to it. He was first asked to share the company’s bank statement. After receiving the details, the fraudsters instructed him to urgently transfer Rs 65 lakh to a bank account, claiming it was an official company transaction.Trusting the instructions, Yashwanth transferred the entire Rs 65 lakh through RTGS on June 29 from the company’s bank account. The fraud came to light only after Yashwanth informed Rajendran about the transaction.Verification revealed that the beneficiary account belonged to Fly Hind Tours and Travels Pvt Ltd, exposing the WhatsApp profile as an impersonation scam. Realising they had been cheated, they contacted the cyber helpline 1930 and later approached South Cyber Crime police on June 30. A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act.
