Fraudsters create fake WA account with collector’s photo

Paderu (ASR District): Alluri Sitarama Raju district collector AS Dinesh Kumar has fallen victim to a cybercrime where fraudsters created a fake WhatsApp account using his name and photo.

Collector informed that the fraudsters, believed to be from the United Arab Emirates, created a fake WhatsApp account using the number +9779748339144. Collector has clarified that he has no connection to this number and that it is a complete fraud. The fraudsters have been sending messages like “Hi, where are you?” to officials and acquaintances of collector, requesting money transfers through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

He urged people not to fall prey to such fraudulent activities and to avoid transferring any money to unknown numbers. He has also requested people that ignore calls and messages from this number. Collector has already filed a complaint with the police regarding the fake account created on his name.

The Paderu Circle Inspector Deenabandu has confirmed that collector has filed a complaint and that the fake account was found to be operating from the United Arab Emirates. However, the police have heaved a sigh of relief as no one has reported being defrauded by this fake account.