Cyber fraudsters recently compromised the WhatsApp account of senior IAS officer and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Chief Ashwini Bhide. The scammers gained unauthorized access using a deceptive courier call-forwarding technique. Once inside, the criminals messaged several senior bureaucrats and contacts to demand emergency funds. Mumbai Police cyber investigators have examined the digital trail to trace the syndicate.
The Fake Parcel Call and Call-Forwarding Trap
The cyber attack began with a deceptive phone call on Saturday. A caller posed as a delivery agent regarding an undelivered parcel. Bhide stated that she had not ordered any package. The fraudster then asked her to dial a specific number to cancel delivery. In reality, that code secretly enabled unconditional call forwarding to the scammer’s phone.
Voice Verification Code Hijack
After diverting her incoming calls, the scammer initiated WhatsApp login on a separate device. Instead of choosing SMS verification, the fraudster selected the voice call option.
WhatsApp placed an automated verification call to Bhide’s mobile number. Because her calls were diverted, the fraudster received the security code directly. The criminal entered the spoken code and seized full control of her messaging account.
Money Demands and Prompt Account Recovery
The scammer quickly accessed her contact list to request urgent money transfers. Alert colleagues contacted Bhide through alternate numbers to verify the unusual messages.
Realizing the breach, she immediately cancelled call forwarding and re-registered her WhatsApp. The swift action helped restore the account before any financial loss occurred.
Rising Trend of Cyber Scams Targeting Public Figures
Police officials warn that organized cyber gangs frequently use this call-forwarding method against high-profile personalities. Similar tricks were previously attempted against political leaders like Supriya Sule and Sambit Patra.
Cyber experts advise citizens never to dial unfamiliar codes beginning with star prefixes. Users should also enable two-step verification inside WhatsApp to block unauthorized logins permanently.
Curated news reports, in-depth analysis, and special features by India’s Opinion editorial team.
