Top doc’s email hacked, SOS for funds sent to contacts

Posing as cardiologist Dr Hiremath and claiming to have met with accident in foreign country, hacker asks recipients of emails to wire money urgently

Top doc's email hacked, SOS for funds sent to contacts

Posing as cardiologist Dr Hiremath and claiming to have met with accident in foreign country, hacker asks recipients of emails to wire money urgently

It would have been a comforting feeling for one of the city's top cardiologists Dr Jagdish Hiremath when he received supportive calls from numerous friends, relatives and well-wishers regarding his 'problem'. Only, Dr Hiremath himself was unaware of his problem until the first few calls came in.

Surprise calls: Dr Jagdish Hiremath says he was surprised to receive
calls asking about his health

And when he did discover it, he was forced to call it an embarrassment and nothing less. Dr Hiremath's email account was hacked and he had become a victim of an Internet fraud. The calls started coming early last morning after Hiremath's email account was hacked and a mail was sent to his contact list stating that he had met with an accident in a foreign country and was in need of urgent funds for treatment on coming back to India.

On receiving a copy of the email, this reporter too called up Hiremath who admitted that it was a fraudulent email. "My account has been hacked and my passwords changed. I have got innumerable calls from morning, and though it feels good to know so many people care, it is not a happy situation. I would like to say I am safe and sound," he clarified.

The doctor said he had informed all his contacts that his email was hacked and lodged a complaint with the cyber crime unit of city police. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Sanjay Shinde said he had received a complaint from Dr Hiremath and the case was being investigated.

Past victims of email hacking
Doctors have been the victim of email hacking and frauds on many occasions. The mailboxes of T N Ravishankar, secretary, Indian Medical Association, Tamil Nadu chapter, and Madhu Thottapillil, sports medicine expert, wereu00a0 hacked. Dr Bhujang Shetty, a Bangalore ophthalmologist, and Dr Nandita Palshetkar, a fertility expert in Mumbai, have also been victims of the same trick.