The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has identified an emerging trend known as the Boss Scam or CEO impersonation fraud.
How it works
A criminal copies the name and profile photo of an owner, director, principal, manager or senior officer. They contact an employee from a new WhatsApp number or look-alike email address and ask for an urgent transfer, UPI payment, gift card or change in vendor bank details.
Common warning signs
- A senior person suddenly contacts you from a new number or email address.
- The request is secret, urgent and outside the normal approval process.
- You are told not to call because the person is “in a meeting”.
- The beneficiary is a personal account, unfamiliar vendor or new UPI ID.
Safe verification rule
Pause and verify through a second channel. Call the person on their already-saved number, speak in person, or confirm with another authorised officer. Never rely only on the message that requested the payment.
For institutes and small businesses
- Require two-person approval for urgent or new-beneficiary payments.
- Verify every vendor bank-detail change by calling a known contact.
- Train staff that profile photos and display names are not proof of identity.
If money or account access is already lost
- Call your bank or payment provider immediately and ask them to block the transaction or account.
- Call the national cyber-fraud helpline 1930 as quickly as possible.
- File a report at cybercrime.gov.in.
- Preserve screenshots, phone numbers, UPI IDs, transaction references, emails and chat history.
Official reference
Read the I4C Boss Scam advisory.