Fraudsters take on BBMP chief Tushar Girinath's identity to ask for Amazon gifts

Cyber criminals used BBMP chief Tushar Giri Nath's identity to make money by asking his subordinates over WhatsApp to send them Amazon gifts. However, no one fell into the trap as the IAS officer warned officials over Twitter just in time.

Published on: Jul 8, 2022, 18:29:51 IST

By Yamini C S | Edited by Chandrashekar Srinivasan

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Cyber fraudsters have used Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath's identity to scam government officials. They used a WhatsApp number with the IAS officer's display picture to slide into officials' DMs and request for Amazon gifts.

Tushar Giri Nath, BBMP Chief, was targeted by fraudsters who adopted his identity to scam his subordinates. (Image source: BBMPCOMM/Twitter)

When suspicious messages started coming from the BBMP head, some officials alerted him immediately, post which he took to Twitter to warn them. Nath also registered an official complaint with the Cybercrime Division in this matter.

Also Read: Bengaluru police raid fake call centre; 6 held

“Please note that 70765 22681 is not my number. It has come to my notice that some fraudster has been misusing this as the number of the BBMP Chief Commissioner and misleading the public and officials. An official complaint has been registered against this fraudster with @CybercrimeCID. I request all officers and citizens to stay cautious of the same and report any suspicions to cyber crime immediately,” the IAS officer wrote, tagging the police commissioner, Bengaluru city police and the BBMP administrator Rakesh Singh.

According to a report by The Times of India, the fraudsters also sent website links that were meant to hack and steal money from victims by redirecting to fraudulent sites.

Read: Conmen pose as ACB; target BESCOM officials to extort money

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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