After Sam Balsara, WhatsApp impersonators target Schbang’s Harshil Karia

“Someone has made their Whatsapp name my name and photo. They've found out who my Chief Accountant is. They've found out his number. And they've sent him a very precise message asking for the company's bank balance,” wrote Schbang founder Harshil Karia on LinkedIn cautioning readers about an impersonator.

He posted two screenshots of which one showed the conversation between the impersonator and the agency’s chief accountant where the former wanted access to the company’s financial data.

“It doesn't necessarily sound like me but I don't see that as too far away given than an Ai can crawl through my LinkedIn and Instagram and clone my writing style (and here i am feeding that potentially future algorithm). I've seen this kind of stuff offering jobs but this is even more threatening. This is critical financial information,” wrote Karia.

Also read: Madison World’s Sam Balsara cautions against WhatsApp impersonator

It is not the first time an agency’s chief name was impersonated on WhatsApp. In October last year, Madison World chairman Sam Balsara warned people about it. "Someone is impersonating me on WhatsApp. Please report it if you come across anything suspicious. Stay safe!" In the case of Balsara, the impersonator tried to access the agency’s financial details, but failed.

Karia is unsure about the preventive measures in such cases. “The risk on this is immensely high. And I am not sure how it can be countered. I am not sure what Cyber Crime is doing to tackle this. I am not sure what Meta is doing to tackle this. I don't know how this can go down to first principle to capture this crook.” he wonders.