Hacker using IAS officer’s details to dupe colleagues, friends in J&K

Senior IAS officer Shahid Choudhary said that a cybercriminal was using his mobile number to defraud colleagues and friends. The officer tweeted about the matter and requested the Jammu and Kashmir Police to take strict action against the culprit.

He said the cybercriminal was using his mobile number and his picture to send messages to his colleagues and friends seeking financial help. Choudhary is tribal affairs department secretary and chief executive officer of the Mission Youth Jammu and Kashmir.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Kashmir tweeted: “General public is advised to remain cautious and follow precautionary measures to deal with fraudsters using fake WhatsApp display picture to impersonate as high-profile government officers or dignitaries.”

It has also shared an advisory instructing people not to reply to messages received from unknown WhatsApp number and not to transfer money or purchase online gift vouchers. It also asked people not to share banking details and, install any remote access app and click on any suspicious link.

Recently, cybercriminals used a photo of the Chandigarh Police chief to seek Amazon gift cards from his friends. Several other senior officials in the Jammu and Kashmir administration have also been targeted by cyber criminals to extract money by hacking into their bank accounts.