Kanpur: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Kanpur has fallen victim to a cyber fraud amounting to Rs 55 lakh after cybercriminals deceived the company into transferring funds to a fake bank account. The scam was uncovered when HAL did not receive the ordered fighter jet parts, despite having made the payment last year.
As per an FIR filed by HAL at the Cyber Police Station, the company had ordered aircraft parts from the American company PS Engineering Inc. Cybercriminals, masquerading as representatives of the supplier, altered transaction details using an email address that closely resembled the legitimate one.
HAL frequently imports aircraft components from international vendors. On May 3, 2024, the company sought a quotation from PS Engineering Inc. using the official email [email protected], to which the authentic supplier replied with the required information. However, the fraudsters, who appeared to have infiltrated HAL’s communications, created a similar email ID—[email protected] (with a slight spelling variation)—and reached out to HAL officials. Pretending to be the American supplier, they provided modified payment details, diverting the funds to their own account.
Convinced that the communication was genuine, HAL officials proceeded with the transaction, transferring $63,405 (around Rs 55 lakh) to the fraudulent account. The scam was revealed only when the actual supplier reported not receiving the payment and the ordered parts were never delivered.
HAL officials suspect a potential breach of their email system, believing the fraudsters had access to sensitive communications, which enabled them to time their attack effectively. After the fraud was discovered, HAL Kanpur’s Additional General Manager, Ashok Kumar Singh, filed a complaint with the Cyber Police.
Sunil Varma, in charge of the Cyber Police Station, confirmed that an investigation is currently in progress. Experts from IIT Kanpur have been enlisted to help track down the culprits.
“We will apprehend the culprits soon,” Varma assured. Authorities have urged organizations to be vigilant about cyber threats and implement robust cybersecurity measures to prevent such frauds.
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