In yet another case of identity theft, a firm lost Rs 85 lakh after a scammer impersonated the owner of a company by using his image as a WhatsApp display picture and sending a message to the company’s accountant. Believing the message to be genuine, the accountant unknowingly fell victim to the scam and transferred R85 lakh to a bank account provided by the fraudster, assuming it was an order from the owner. A similar incident was recently reported to the Navi Mumbai Cyber Cell, where a consultancy firm was duped of Rs 1.30 crore using the same method.

According to an FIR registered by the accountant of a private firm on November 25, he received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number stating: “I am Arjun Jolly, this is my new WhatsApp. Please save it.” The complaint states that the WhatsApp profile photo displayed Arjun Jolly’s image, leading the accountant to believe it was genuine. He saved the number and later received a call from the same number, but the caller was inaudible. Shortly after, the accountant received another message: “I’m in a meeting right now, and the network signal is weak.” The scammer then sent another message asking, “Are you in the company right now?”