Whale phishing: Real estate firm loses Rs 40 lakh as cyber fraudsters pose as company director

IN A suspected case of whale phishing, a city-based real estate company was swindled to the tune of Rs 40 lakh by cyber criminals posing as the company’s director and tricked a company’s staffer into making large transfers to a fraudulent bank account.

After the preliminary inquiry by a team from the Cyber Crime police station of Pune city police, an FIR was registered at Deccan Gymkhana police station on Sunday based on a complaint filed by the 39-year-old director of the real estate firm. A probe has been launched into the whale phishing, also referred to as ‘spear phishing scam’ or ‘CEO scam.’