Noida Firm Loses ₹78.9 Lakh in Email Scam; Cybercrime Police Launch Probe

Noida police have started an investigation after a major mobile phone service centre in Sector 59 lost ₹78.9 lakh in an email scam. The fraud came to light when the company realised that the payment it made to its “manufacturer” had actually gone to scammers.

According to the police, the service centre received an email that looked exactly like the ones it regularly got from its manufacturing partner. The message even asked the company to update the supplier’s bank details in its system. Believing the request was genuine, the finance team transferred ₹78.9 lakh from its Bengaluru bank account.

The fraud was discovered later when the real manufacturer confirmed it had neither sent such an email nor received any payment. Investigators found that the scam email came from an address that looked almost identical to the manufacturer’s — with only one small change in the spelling of the domain name.

Police said this was a clear case of a Business Email Compromise (BEC) — a type of cyber fraud where attackers impersonate trusted contacts to trick companies into transferring money.

“These scams are no longer amateur,” said a senior officer from Noida’s Cybercrime Branch. “They are well-planned and target professionals handling large corporate payments.”

Experts explained that such attacks usually happen after hackers study a company’s internal communication and billing patterns. Once they gain enough information, they send fake invoices or payment requests that appear legitimate.

Cybercrime units across Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru have reported a rise in similar cases involving fake emails, invoice redirection, and payment diversion scams — especially in the tech and manufacturing sectors.

Once money is transferred, police said, it is quickly split and moved through multiple accounts and digital wallets, often overseas, making recovery very difficult.

An FIR has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. The Cybercrime Branch, led by SHO Ranjeet Singh, is tracking the email trail, server logs, and the bank accounts used in the fraud.

Police are also working with the affected manufacturer to check if any data leak or insider information helped the scammers.

Cybersecurity experts have urged companies to adopt stricter digital safety measures — including two-step verification, regular employee training, and domain monitoring.

“Just one wrong click can lead to huge losses,” a police officer warned. “Companies must stay alert — because today’s scammers are watching closely.”