{
  "id": 17094978,
  "title": "Whale-phishing: MD in office foils Rs 49 lakh fraud bid after Rs 50 lakh loss",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/whale-phishing-md-in-office-foils-rs-49-lakh-fraud-bid-after-rs-50",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-29T17:00:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/whale-phishing-scam-whatsapp-fraud-10942526/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a sophisticated form of \"whale-phishing,\" cybercriminals managed to steal Rs 50 lakh from a sports equipment company after hacking into an accountant's phone and impersonating the Managing Director (MD) on WhatsApp. The fraudsters first succeeded in transferring the money, but were thwarted the second time they attempted a Rs 49 lakh transfer because the MD was present in the office.\n\nAccording to the FIR registered with the Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police, the company accountant handles financial transactions with the MD's authorization. The MD typically instructed the accountant via WhatsApp to make payments, a routine the fraudsters exploited. On October 23, the accountant received a WhatsApp message from a number displaying the MD's name and photo asking about the company's bank balances. After sharing the information, the accountant was asked to transfer Rs 50 lakh to a specified trading firm's bank account. Believing the instructions came from his employer, the accountant proceeded with the transfer, which was completed by noon.\n\nWhen the MD arrived at the office around 2 pm, he was informed about the fraudulent transfer. Only 20 minutes later, the accountant received another WhatsApp message from the same number requesting a further Rs 49 lakh transfer, which he verified by contacting the MD directly through the company's internal communication system. The MD denied authorizing the transfer, revealing the deception and leading to the discovery of the scam. The fraudsters had gained access to the accountant's mobile phone and blocked the MD's original saved contact number. They then used another number displaying the MD's name and photo to communicate with the accountant, making the fraudulent instructions appear legitimate by leveraging established workplace routines. This case highlights the increasing use of whale-phishing scams, a targeted form of phishing that specifically targets senior executives and business owners with access to large sums of money.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}