Gang with China links busted in Rs 1.95-crore whale phishing fraud

A gang of five cyber fraudsters, allegedly linked to operatives in China, has been arrested by the Pune city cyber police in connection with a Rs 1.95 crore whale phishing fraud. The case was registered in February following the alleged manipulation of the accounts manager of a Kothrud-based real estate firm into making two large transfers through WhatsApp.

According to police, the attackers initially communicated with the victim via WhatsApp, posing as the firm's partner and requesting a transfer of Rs 95 lakh. The money was subsequently transferred by the accounts manager. A few hours later, the fraudster asked for another Rs 1 crore, which was also paid. When questioned about TDS, the impersonator assured the victim that arrangements would be made, leading to the second transfer.

The plot deepened when the fraudster requested a third transfer of Rs 1.9 crore. The scheme unraveled when the victim contacted the firm's partner directly and discovered that no such instructions had been given. Police traced the illicit funds through multiple bank accounts, technical analysis, and records provided by the banks.

Officials warned that such scams often involve spoofed emails, WhatsApp messages with stolen display pictures, compromised sessions on Microsoft Teams, and targeted attacks on high-value personnel within organizations, commonly known as whale phishing or CEO scams. Since 2022, Pune City and Pimpri Chinchwad police have registered nearly a dozen such cases.