WhatsApp number of OCAC CEO hacked: Nigerian cyber fraud gang suspected behind the case

Bhubaneswar: In a recent development regarding the OCAC CEO and additional secretary of the state Electronics and Information Technology (E&IT) department Manoj Kumar Pattnaik’s WhatsApp number hacking case, it is suspected that a Nigerian cyber fraud gang is behind the whole facade, informed Additional Director General (ADG) Crime Branch Sanjeeb Panda.

Reportedly, the crime branch officials had a conversation with cyber criminals and they suspect from their dialect that they belong to Nigeria.

The money has been transferred to several bank accounts after the WhatsApp account was hacked, added reports.

The crime branch has written and directed to freeze multiple bank accounts involved in this case, added ADG Sanjeeb Panda.

It is to be noted that an unidentified cyber-criminal has allegedly hacked his WhatsApp number and demanded money from Pattnaik’s contacts. The hacker impersonated him as Pattnaik and sent distress messages to his close contacts following which they transferred money to the bank and UPI accounts shared by the fraudsters. As many as rupees seven lakh have been received to the accounts of cyber-criminal.

The victim Manoj Pattnaik had lodged a complaint with Saheed Nagar police station and also said that his contacts with fell in prey of the phishing messages, have already lodged complaints.

Pattnaik has stated that he received an unknown call on his WhatsApp on Tuesday afternoon. But as the caller did not utter a word, he hung up the phone after around 30 seconds. Later that day, he realised that his WhatsApp account has been hacked after his contacts, who had sent the huge amount of cash, asked him regarding his health and said him about the money transfer.

Howeever, he has denied to have clicked any malicious link sent by the accused. Pattnaik was unable to reinstall his WhatsApp on the same number as the cyber criminals might have tampered with his profile’s authentication system.

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