Staff Reporter :
A fraudster has hacked the WhatsApp number of National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md. Abdur Rahman Khan, and attempted to swindle money by sending messages in his name. The incident came to light on Wednesday (24 September) afternoon, when NBR’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Md. Al-Amin Sheikh alerted colleagues and journalists.
In a message shared in the official WhatsApp group of the NBR PR Department, Al-Amin wrote:
“The WhatsApp number of National Board of Revenue Chairman Mr. Md. Abdur Rahman Khan has been hacked. We request everyone not to be misled by any messages from this number.”
Speaking to the media, Al-Amin explained, “Around 2:28 pm I received a WhatsApp message from Sir’s number asking for a loan. When I immediately contacted him, he confirmed that his account had been hacked and instructed me to warn everyone.”
Minutes later, journalists also received scam messages. At 2:46 pm, the hacked number asked for Tk 35,000 via bKash, promising repayment the next day. When called, no one answered, and at 2:58 pm another text followed, ‘No need to call, I’m busy. Share a number so I can send it.’
The NBR Chairman himself later issued a public warning through a Facebook post written in English: “My phone number has been hacked. If you receive any messages asking for money from my account, please ignore it.”
Officials have urged the public, colleagues, and journalists to remain vigilant against such cyber fraud attempts. Experts say that hacking of messaging apps to impersonate high-profile individuals is a growing form of digital deception in Bangladesh, often aimed at extorting money quickly before victims can verify authenticity.
