'I feel ashamed, but it seemed genuine': Actress Anjitha falls victim to cyber fraud

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Malayalam actress Anjitha has filed a police complaint, alleging that she became a victim of cyber fraud. The scam involved the hacking of renowned dancer Ranjana Gauhar’s WhatsApp account, which was then used to deceive Anjitha into sending money.

Anjitha shared her ordeal with Mathrubhumi, explaining that while most scams are typically carried out via unknown phone numbers or social media accounts, her case was different. The fraudsters used an account she had known for a long time and that was the WhatsApp number of Ranjana Gauhar. 

“I have known Ranjana Gauhar for a long time. We call and talk sometimes. The message came from her WhatsApp on Sunday afternoon," Anjitha said. "I feel ashamed to say this, but the message stated that there was an issue with my account, and the payment couldn't be transferred." The person asked for some money, promising to return it by the following evening.

Anjitha explained, “I tried calling Ranjana, but she did not pick up. I thought someone as prominent as her would not pick up the phone if she was embarrassed about asking me for money". Since the message came from Ranjana’s own WhatsApp number, she did not suspect anything unusual. Trusting the source, Anjitha sent ₹10,000 to the account mentioned in the message.

The fraudsters even sent an OTP to Anjitha's phone and attempted to hack her WhatsApp. However, she managed to prevent the hack with timely intervention.

Explaining about the scam, Anjith further said, “Although we are aware of cyber frauds, we never imagined that a scam could happen from Ranjana's personal WhatsApp number. I had no reason to doubt it because it came from her own contact".

Soon after, Ranjana called Anjitha, informing her that her WhatsApp had indeed been hacked. She urged Anjitha to be cautious and avoid sending money to such requests. Unfortunately, by the time Ranjana had reached out, Anjitha had already sent ₹10,000.

Anjitha later confirmed that Ranjana’s WhatsApp number was still being used by the fraudsters. Ranjana has since lodged a complaint with the cyber cell in an attempt to track down the perpetrators.