What are the red flags of this scam?

The number is unfamiliar — check the actual number, not just the profile photo and name • They claim their 'usual phone isn't working' or ask you not to call back on their known number • The request is time-sensitive: 'I need the money within the hour for an urgent official matter' • They add urgency with a confidentiality clause: 'Don't tell anyone yet — this is sensitive' • School group variant: a cloned group with the school logo asks parents to pay emergency fees to an unfamiliar number

What should I do if this happened to me?

Call the genuine contact on their known saved number before transferring anything • For official requests, verify through official email, the organisation's number, or in person • Never act on a payment request received only via WhatsApp, regardless of how recognisable the profile • If you already transferred, call 1930 immediately and alert your bank to freeze the transaction • Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).

HIGH phishing Share

Someone cloned your boss's or colleague's WhatsApp photo and is asking you for money

A scammer copies a colleague's or official's WhatsApp profile photo and name onto a new number, then urgently asks you for a UPI transfer. The familiar photo creates false trust before you realise it is a different number entirely.

Also known as: WhatsApp profile cloning scam, boss impersonation WhatsApp, school principal WhatsApp fraud, WhatsApp identity theft

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

Call 1930 now

1 Call 1930 — the national cyber-crime helpline — right now. The sooner you report, the better the chance of freezing the money before it moves.
2 Call your bank to freeze the account and block the card immediately. Use the number printed on your card, never a number from the message or caller.
3 File a report at cybercrime.gov.in and keep every message, screenshot, and transaction ID.

What to do right now

1 Call the genuine contact on their known saved number before transferring anything
2 For official requests, verify through official email, the organisation's number, or in person
3 Never act on a payment request received only via WhatsApp, regardless of how recognisable the profile
4 If you already transferred, call 1930 immediately and alert your bank to freeze the transaction
5 Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).

Red flags

⚠ The number is unfamiliar — check the actual number, not just the profile photo and name
⚠ They claim their 'usual phone isn't working' or ask you not to call back on their known number
⚠ The request is time-sensitive: 'I need the money within the hour for an urgent official matter'
⚠ They add urgency with a confidentiality clause: 'Don't tell anyone yet — this is sensitive'
⚠ School group variant: a cloned group with the school logo asks parents to pay emergency fees to an unfamiliar number

Known variants

Corporate BEC via WhatsApp profile cloning (June 2026): scammer creates a WhatsApp account with the chairman's or MD's photo and name, messages the CFO with urgent RTGS transfer instructions. No voice or video required — a familiar profile picture is enough. ₹7.68 crore lost in 4 days; ₹4.28 crore frozen by Delhi Police.

Last seen: 6/22/2026
School WhatsApp group clone: scammer creates a near-identical school group with the school logo, adds parent numbers, then 'the principal' requests urgent exam fees, trip payments, or emergency donations. ₹3.2 crore in Q1 2026 losses; 1,847 NCRP complaints tagged.

Last seen: 5/31/2026
WhatsApp username impersonation (July 2026): WhatsApp launched usernames globally. MeitY warned scammers could register @RBI_Official, @CBI_Alert, or a CEO handle and contact victims without revealing their phone number. India ordered Meta to pause the feature within 48 hours. WhatsApp usernames remain unavailable in India as of July 2026.

Last seen: 7/8/2026

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources