Flipkart CEO Binny Bansal's email hacked, $80,000 sought
E-commerce major Flipkart has lodged a police complaint that its CEO Binny Bansal's official email account was hacked and two mails were sent from it to the company's CFO asking for transfer of $80,000.
Cybercrime police describe it as a case of email spoofing, wherein messages are sent from forged addresses.Investigators have found the emails were shot off from Hong Kong and Canada using a server in Russia, sources in the CID said.
The emails, carrying the same message, were sent to Sanjay Baweja, CFO of Flipkart, at 11.33am on March 1. Surprised by the nature of the emails and their timing, Baweja cross-checked with Bansal, only to find out that they were a fraud.
SN Shivagangaiah, an employee with Flipkart, filed a complaint on Bansal's behalf with the CID's Cyber crime cell on Wednesday. The hackers seem to have used an advanced virus to hack into the email account. Both emails were sent at the same time using a server in Russia," CID sources said.
Hemant Nimbalkar, IGP, CID-cyber cell, said he is forming a special team to investigate the case. "It is a clear case of email fraud. We request internet users not to react immediately to emails seeking money transfers and other monetary benefits," he said.
Flipkart did not respond to several calls from TOI.
What the emails said?
Subject: Urgent wire transfer
Good afternoon Sanjay. How are you doing? Hope you enjoyed your day yesterday? Are you in office? I need you to transfer the sum of $ 80.000.00 as soon as possible (Urgent). Kindly reply this mail to know if you are in the office so I can provide you the bank details of the beneficiary for urgent wire transfer.
Regards
-Biiny Bansal-Co founder and chief executive officer, Flipkart online services pvt ltd, Bengaluru Karnataka-India
Internet Privacy is a Myth, my Friend :s
E-commerce major Flipkart has lodged a police complaint that its CEO Binny Bansal's official email account was hacked and two mails were sent from it to the company's CFO asking for transfer of $80,000.
Cybercrime police describe it as a case of email spoofing, wherein messages are sent from forged addresses.Investigators have found the emails were shot off from Hong Kong and Canada using a server in Russia, sources in the CID said.
The emails, carrying the same message, were sent to Sanjay Baweja, CFO of Flipkart, at 11.33am on March 1. Surprised by the nature of the emails and their timing, Baweja cross-checked with Bansal, only to find out that they were a fraud.
SN Shivagangaiah, an employee with Flipkart, filed a complaint on Bansal's behalf with the CID's Cyber crime cell on Wednesday. The hackers seem to have used an advanced virus to hack into the email account. Both emails were sent at the same time using a server in Russia," CID sources said.
Hemant Nimbalkar, IGP, CID-cyber cell, said he is forming a special team to investigate the case. "It is a clear case of email fraud. We request internet users not to react immediately to emails seeking money transfers and other monetary benefits," he said.
Flipkart did not respond to several calls from TOI.
What the emails said?
Subject: Urgent wire transfer
Good afternoon Sanjay. How are you doing? Hope you enjoyed your day yesterday? Are you in office? I need you to transfer the sum of $ 80.000.00 as soon as possible (Urgent). Kindly reply this mail to know if you are in the office so I can provide you the bank details of the beneficiary for urgent wire transfer.
Regards
-Biiny Bansal-Co founder and chief executive officer, Flipkart online services pvt ltd, Bengaluru Karnataka-India
Internet Privacy is a Myth, my Friend :s
