A WhatsApp message from a number you do not know.
The profile photo is your boss, or the company's owner.
"I'm in a meeting, can't talk. Need a small favour urgently. Keep it confidential."
Then comes the favour: buy gift cards, or transfer money to a vendor.
How do they know who my boss is?
Most of it is public.
Company websites, LinkedIn and Instagram show who works where and who leads them.
A photo is easy to copy.
Why is the message so convincing?
It uses three pressures at once.
Authority, because it seems to come from the person in charge.
Urgency, because it is needed right now.
Secrecy, because you are told not to tell anyone.
Those are exactly the things that stop people checking.
What do they ask for?
Gift cards are popular, because codes can be sold quickly.
Sometimes it is a payment to a "new vendor", or a UPI transfer.
There is often a promise to repay you later.
How do I check?
Call your boss on the number you already have saved.
Not the new number, and not by replying to the message.
If you cannot reach them, ask a colleague or someone in the office.
A real request survives a ten-second phone call.
What should the office do?
Agree one simple rule: no payments or gift cards on a WhatsApp request alone.
Any money request is confirmed by a call to a known number.
Small businesses are targeted as much as large ones.
What if someone already paid?
If it was gift cards, contact the gift card company immediately with the codes and receipts.
If it was a bank or UPI payment, call the bank on the number on the card.
Report on 1930 and at cybercrime.gov.in.
Report the number inside WhatsApp, and tell colleagues so they do not get caught next.
Things to Remember
- A new number with your boss's photo is not your boss.
- Authority, urgency and secrecy together mean scam.
- Confirm by calling the number you already have saved.
- Agree an office rule: no payments on WhatsApp requests alone.
- Paid already? Contact the bank or gift card company and call 1930.