Company in Mumbai was looking for investors, ended up losing Rs 2.5 crore while signing online contract A Mumbai-based health company seeking investors was defrauded of Rs 2.5 crore in an online scam involving a fake meeting and a phishing link.Listen to Story In Short – The company was contacted by a fraudster claiming to be an executive of the investor company.- The scammer asked the company for more details and sent a link to take thing forward.- The company clicked on the phishing link sent by scammer and ended up losing money.In a recent case of online fraud, a health company from Mumbai looking for an investor ended up losing Rs 2.5 crore.
The company was in discussion with a Singapore-based company for the investment when an unidentified person, posing as the corporate communication manager of the international firm, contacted the victim.He then sent a link for details on the contract, which apparently was a phishing link that caused the victim to lose all their money.According to a report by TOI, a chartered accountant of the Mumbai-based health company was seeking investors for his company.
During the hunt, the Singapore-based company, Khyber Ventures, showed interest in investing.The two parties discussed the investment and entered into an e-contract with the CA.According to the contract, Khyber Ventures agreed to invest in US dollars equivalent to Rs 2.5 crore.The Singapore-based company even deposited the amount in the Mumbai-based company’s cryptocurrency wallet.However, a few days later, on June 18, the Mumbai CA received a message from an unidentified person claiming to be from Khyber Ventures.The individual, posing as the corporate communications manager for a Singapore-based company, asked the CA to join a meeting to discuss more details regarding the investment.Two days after the meeting, on June 20, the CA received another message from someone named Jenny Kyber.Kyber sent a link and asked the CA to click on it.
The CA, believing the communications to be legitimate, clicked on the link.This led to the installation of malware on the CA’s computer, which allowed the scammers to gain access to the CA’s personal and financial information.Subsequently, the scammers used this information to transfer Rs2.5 crore from CA’s bank account.“When the complainant clicked on the link, an amount of 2.5 lakh USD which was in the crypto-currency account invested by Khyber Ventures was transferred and his own amount of 15,100 USD was also Siphoned off and the total sum equivalent to Rs 2.20 crore was Siphoned off by unidentified persons,” said official statement from Police.Shocked by the money withdrawal, the CA immediately filed a complaint of online fraud with the Cyber Crime portal.The Nodal Cyber unit promptly took cognizance of the offense and registered a First Information Report (FIR).Investigators probing the case believe that the victim’s wallet was compromised through a phishing link.They strongly suspect that the scammers used Inferno Drainer tools to carry out the attack.
Inferno Drainer is a malicious software tool designed to steal cryptocurrency from wallets.
It operates by tricking victims into clicking on a phishing link, granting the scammers access to their wallets.Meanwhile, the police have urged people to remain vigilant in the online space.They warn that despite repeated warnings from law enforcement, people continue to fall victim to phishing scams.These scams involve clicking on links that lead to fake websites designed to steal personal information, such as login credentials and credit or debit card data.The police have urged the public to be cautious and avoid clicking on links from unknown senders.
They have also advised people to be wary of websites that request personal information..
