Hyderabad Police Warn of WhatsApp Impersonation Scam Targeting Executives
Severity: Medium (Score: 57.8)
Sources: Deccanchronicle
Summary
Cybercriminals are executing a new WhatsApp impersonation scam aimed at business leaders, including CEOs, CFOs, and accountants of large corporations in Hyderabad. The attackers send phishing links to official email addresses, which install malware to gain remote access to corporate systems. Once inside, they exploit active WhatsApp Web sessions to impersonate executives, sending urgent messages to accountants to transfer large sums of money to fraudulent accounts. This scam has reportedly affected multiple companies within the Hyderabad Commissionerate jurisdiction. Authorities urge companies to be vigilant and verify any financial requests received via WhatsApp. The police recommend installing robust firewalls and antivirus software, as well as logging out of WhatsApp Web after use. Victims are advised to report incidents immediately using the designated helpline. Key Points: • Cybercriminals target business executives via WhatsApp impersonation. • Malware is installed through phishing links sent to official emails. • Companies are urged to verify financial requests directly with executives.
Key Entities
- Malware (attack_type)
- Phishing (attack_type)
- T1566.002 - Spearphishing Link (mitre_attack)
- WhatsApp (platform)
- WhatsApp Web (tool)
- X (company)