An employee of a popular esports company fell victim to a fake employer message scam, in a fresh Mumbai crime. She was unwittingly transferring INR 30 Lakh to the scammer’s account. The scamster asked the female employee to transfer another 20 Lakh. That raised alarm bells in the employee’s mind.
The Mumbai crime began when the employee received an online message from an account she believed was her employer’s. The message informed her that he needed INR 50 Lakh for a business project. The woman made a transfer of INR 30 Lakh. The contact then asked her to transfer another INR 20 Lakh.
The company account did not have that balance. She informed the scamster of this. The scamster told her to transfer the remaining amount from her personal account, and that’s when the alarm bells rang. The woman contacted her employer. He informed her that the number she was referring to was not his, and he had not instructed her to transfer any amount to anyone.
While individuals falling for scams like these and transferring money are on the rise, the scamsters are now becoming bold enough and forcing employees of major companies to transfer money from company accounts as well.
Once again, this incident raises questions about the bank’s responsibility in tracking significant transfers that individuals carry out through their accounts. An amount like INR 30 Lakh should raise some queries somewhere. At the very least, it should require the consent of multiple people to transfer. News reports of scams where individuals transfer significant amounts via bank transfer have increased exponentially, and people have been losing lakhs and crores of rupees to this scam.
The police have filed a case under multiple sections, including Section 66C of the IT Act (2000), which addresses identity theft. Convicted criminals face up to 3 years of imprisonment and a fine. It is crucial to verify the authenticity of all digital interactions and transactions we conduct. We should also refrain from sharing our individual details, such as Aadhaar Card and PAN Card, as they are also prone to misuse.
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