Someone cloned your boss's or colleague's WhatsApp photo and is asking you for money
A scammer copies a colleague's or official's WhatsApp profile photo and name onto a new number, then urgently asks you for a UPI transfer. The familiar photo creates false trust before you realise it is a different number entirely.
Also known as: WhatsApp profile cloning scam, boss impersonation WhatsApp, school principal WhatsApp fraud, WhatsApp identity theft
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
Call 1930 now- 1 Call 1930 — the national cyber-crime helpline — right now. The sooner you report, the better the chance of freezing the money before it moves.
- 2 Call your bank to freeze the account and block the card immediately. Use the number printed on your card, never a number from the message or caller.
- 3 File a report at cybercrime.gov.in and keep every message, screenshot, and transaction ID.
What to do right now
- 1 Call the genuine contact on their known saved number before transferring anything
- 2 For official requests, verify through official email, the organisation's number, or in person
- 3 Never act on a payment request received only via WhatsApp, regardless of how recognisable the profile
- 4 If you already transferred, call 1930 immediately and alert your bank to freeze the transaction
- 5 Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).
Red flags
- ⚠ The number is unfamiliar — check the actual number, not just the profile photo and name
- ⚠ They claim their 'usual phone isn't working' or ask you not to call back on their known number
- ⚠ The request is time-sensitive: 'I need the money within the hour for an urgent official matter'
- ⚠ They add urgency with a confidentiality clause: 'Don't tell anyone yet — this is sensitive'
- ⚠ School group variant: a cloned group with the school logo asks parents to pay emergency fees to an unfamiliar number
Known variants
-
School WhatsApp group clone: scammer creates a near-identical school group with the school logo, adds parent numbers, then 'the principal' requests urgent exam fees, trip payments, or emergency donations. ₹3.2 crore in Q1 2026 losses; 1,847 NCRP complaints tagged.
Last seen: 5/31/2026