Kasaragod:
 In what appears to be a coordinated phishing attempt, at least four employees of the Kasaragod and Wayanad Collectorates received WhatsApp messages from accounts impersonating their district Collectors and seeking urgent money transfers. The numbers have since been flagged to the cyber police, officials from both Collectorates said.

The messages originated from Vietnam-registered numbers but displayed the profile photos of the respective collectors -- D R Meghasree in Wayanad and Inbasekar K in Kasaragod.

In one instance, the scammers even shared a Google Pay number, but the employee backed out in time. “The employees who received the messages were saved simply because they recognised the Collector’s tone and style of communication,” said an official at the Wayanad Collectorate.

Two employees in Wayanad received the messages, each from a different Vietnam-based number. In Kasaragod, Collector Inbasekar said “many employees” received the phishing messages on WhatsApp, and two have formally reported them. “No one lost money,” he said.

The scam followed the same script in both districts. The first message typically read:
“Hello, how are you doing? Where are you at the moment?” In Wayanad, the first message landed at 4.23 pm; in Kasaragod, at 5.33 pm. Once the employee responded, a second line followed:
“Very good. Please do something urgently for me.”

Then came the pitch:
“I need you to fund some executive prospects’ accounts on my behalf while I’m busy in an urgent meeting. I will reimburse you before the end of the day.” At this point, most employees recognised the fraud. Only one in Wayanad continued the conversation long enough to be given a Google Pay number.

The numbers have since been reported to the cyber police. According to officials in Wayanad, the cyber unit has now blocked both Vietnam-linked numbers and the Google Pay number. “Once the messages were identified as fake, screenshots were immediately circulated across all internal WhatsApp groups,” the Wayanad official said.

Kasaragod Collector Inbasekar urged staff and the public to stay alert when they receive messages requesting money transfers. Interestingly, in both districts, the messages were sent to staff engaged in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls for next year’s Assembly election. And the scammers inadvertently exposed the pressures that booth-level officers work under.
When one scammer asked a Wayanad employee where they were, the reply was earnest: “Ma’am, I’m now at Thavithan field. The BLO of booth 25 became a little emotional and had to be taken to the hospital. I visited them at home, ma’am. We are doing our best. A few BLOs still have forms for which they haven’t been able to trace the residents. We’re managing that. By tomorrow, we will complete as much as possible, ma’am.”