According to TOI, CID Additional Director General of Police Ayv Krishna said, “Similar cases have emerged in Tripura, Meghalaya, Delhi, Telangana, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Odisha. In Assam, a case of WhatsApp copying attack has been reported so far.”
The department also suspects the international relations of this racket as stated. Regarding this, Krishna says, ‘We are investigating the matter and other states are also investigating their matters. We are also in touch with the Ministry of Home Affairs. “
The report states that CID says that these fraudsters gather available information from a particular organization or department and its employees from the official websites or receive unauthorized access to the contact list of a senior officer. Krishna said, “Fake websites, social media sites, emails, messenger apps, etc. Senior officers/political executive/constitutional authority receives the name and photo, and creates WhatsApp account with an unknown phone number using them.”
Krishna further states that to select subordinate from the fraudulent list, sending messages or emails on WhatsApp, he is participating in a very important meeting and is unable to call/take a call and hence, he is asking them to buy an e-gift card for him or send funds.
Therefore, the CID has asked the officials of all departments to verify their senior officials before any payment or shopping or clicking on the link sent in the message. The department has also asked to take screenshots of such messages and file a complaint.
The report further states that on July 11, a fake WhatsApp account was detected with the ‘display picture’ with a picture of Assam’s Industry, Commerce and Public Enterprises Minister Bimal Bora, using which the miscreants tried to cheat money from two joint secretaries of the department, Oh Uz Zaman and Bhaskar Jyoti Mahant and Deputy Secretary Ramen Lal Vaishya and Deputy Secretary Ramen Lal Vaishya and Seng Timung.
