Ashok Kumar Lahiri warns after phone number hacked asking ₹56,000
Ashok Kumar Lahiri, the vice chairman-designate of NITI Aayog, had his phone number hacked this week.
He posted on Facebook warning everyone that a scammer was using his WhatsApp to ask for ₹56,000 from multiple people, pretending UPI was not working and promising to pay it back in 2 hours.
DoT official urges stronger WhatsApp security
Screenshots showed the hacker texting, "Can you send me ₹56,000? I will return it in 2 hours."
No one picked up when people tried calling back, making things even more suspicious.
Officials say these scams often happen through phishing or SIM swapping, especially since WhatsApp's two-step verification is optional and not mandatory.
With so many Indians on WhatsApp and digital safety still a challenge, the DoT official is calling for stronger security features for everyone.