Belagavi: Cyberfraudsters are now targeting bureaucrats. In the case which came to light on Friday, a WhatsApp number was created in the name of Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) commissioner and demanded Rs 50,000 from his deputy. After closely examining the incident, it was found to be a fraud, and the BCC deputy commissioner filed a complaint at Belagavi CEN police station.Cyberfraudsters sent a message on WhatsApp, which was posted with BCC commissioner Kartik M’s photo as its DP, to BCC deputy commissioner Uday Kumar Talawar on Friday afternoon, demanding Rs 50,000. The message read “to urgently send Rs 50,000” to the account. It also said: “I am in a meeting, please deposit the money and send a screenshot.” Talawar saw the message and immediately called the number on WhatsApp for confirmation.However, the fraudster did not receive the call, and sent a message back, saying he was in a meeting. Growing suspicious, Talawar called Kartik on his personal number. After the shocked BCC commissioner said he had not sought money, Talawar filed a complaint at the CEN station.Kartik told TOI that his deputy has filed a complaint against the fraudsters who created a WhatsApp number with his photo and demanded money. As per preliminary information, the WhatsApp number originated from Vietnam.
