Imposter on WhatsApp cons man out of Rs 5 lakh

Online fraudsters impersonated an Indian living in Australia and conned his friend out of Rs 5 lakh by citing “an emergency”.

On February 14, Faisal Masood Khan, 47, a resident of Devarabeesanahalli, received a message on WhatsApp, purportedly from a friend named Shiva Prasad Bebarta, who’s settled in Australia.

The message came from a WhatsApp account linked to Bebarta’s Australia number, and the display picture was of his. The message stated that Bebarta needed money for an emergency, and implored Khan to contribute.

Khan believed the message and intended to transfer the money. But before that, he tried to call up Bebarta and find out what the emergency was. Bebarta, however, couldn’t be reached. Khan then sent him a text message. He replied that he was busy and promised to call him back after some time.

Believing that his friend was in trouble, Khan transferred Rs 5 lakh in two instalments to two different accounts given by the impersonator. But before he could send some more money, he managed to contact Bebarta. The friend told Khan that he never asked for any money.

Khan alerted his bank about the fraud and asked for stopping the payment. He also filed a complaint with Whitefield CEN police.

A police officer said a case had been registered and they were making efforts to track down the suspects.

‘DP misused’

Speaking to DH, Khan said he believed the message as it came from an Australian number and the WhatsApp display picture was of his friend. Police believe the bank accounts given by the impersonator are in the name of Sunil Kumar and Lakshman Kumar.