The Kerala Police on Sunday (June 28, 2026) warned companies and institutions about the ‘boss scam’, a cyber fraud involving the impersonation of senior executives to trick employees into transferring funds.

In a statement, the police said fraudsters first create panic by sending fake urgent messages purportedly from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or official audit teams to senior executives and Finance department staff.

They then send ZIP files containing malware, which, once opened, allow them to gain access to an organisation’s computer systems.

Once they gain access, the fraudsters either create fake profiles of senior officials or hijack their accounts.

They then use WhatsApp Web to send messages posing as CEOs or other top executives, directing employees to urgently transfer money and siphoning off company funds.

The police advised employees not to rely solely on WhatsApp or email messages when processing financial transactions. They should directly contact senior officials and verify any request before transferring large sums of money.

Unauthorised devices

The statement also cautioned against opening ZIP, EXE or DLL files received from unknown sources and advised organisations to regularly check the “linked devices” section of WhatsApp to ensure that no unauthorised devices are connected.

Further, organisations were advised to introduce multi-level approval mechanisms for financial transactions to minimise the risk of fraud.

Anyone who falls victim to cyber financial fraud should immediately report the incident through the cyber helpline number 1930 or lodge a complaint on the official cybercrime portal, the police added.