Mumbai doctor's phone hacked; scammers seek money from CM, Salman Khan, others
India Today
Dr. Gautam Bansali's phone was hacked by cyber fraudsters who used his WhatsApp account to send fake emergency messages seeking money from senior politicians and Bollywood actors.
A Mumbai-based senior doctor recently fell victim to a cyber crime after scammers hacked his mobile phone and sent messages seeking money from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, actors Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt, among several other prominent contacts.
Dr. Gautam Bhansali, a consultant physician at Bombay Hospital, said fraudsters gained access to his WhatsApp account and began sending emergency messages to people in his contact list, asking them to transfer funds to a UPI account that was not his own.
The messages were framed as urgent financial requests, prompting some recipients to transfer money before verifying their authenticity.
The breach came to light while Dr Bhansali was in his office arranging an ICU bed for a patient. A fellow doctor called to ask why he was seeking money. When Dr Bhansali denied sending any such message and failed to receive test messages on WhatsApp, he realised his account had been compromised.
He immediately alerted colleagues through hospital groups and contacted the cyber crime department. With assistance from police, Meta was informed and the account was eventually blocked, though not before financial losses were reported.
According to Dr Bhansali, two of his doctor friends transferred money believing there was a genuine emergency. Another acquaintance sent Rs 90,000, while lyricist Manoj Muntashir also transferred Rs 46,000.
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