MP's finance manager duped of ₹92 lakh by WhatsApp scam
Kakinada MP and Tea Time company head Udaya Srinivas's chief finance manager, Gangisetty Srinivas Rao, was tricked out of ₹92 lakh after a scammer posed as the MP on WhatsApp, complete with his profile photo.
Believing the urgent money requests were real, Gangisetty Srinivas Rao sent funds in 11 installments to accounts run by the fraudster.
It's a sharp reminder of how easy it is for cybercriminals to exploit trust using social engineering and identity spoofing.
Fraud detected during routine account review
The fraud came to light on September 8, when a review of company accounts revealed missing funds.
Rao realized he'd been duped only after the discrepancies were flagged.
The MP's team reported it to cybercrime police, who managed to freeze ₹7 lakh—but most of the money had already vanished.
Authorities say these kinds of scams are getting more sophisticated, especially when targeting public figures.