A sophisticated Harvard job scam led to a famous news anchor in India giving up her passport details, bank account numbers, and medical records. To add, after giving up the information, she was then met with a message from an associate dean at Harvard saying she has no record in their system.
Famous Indian News Writer Falls Victim to Harvard Job Scam
According to The New York Times story, Nidhi Razdan, a famous Indian news anchor who was already at the apex of her career, fell for the Harvard scam when she received the email ensuring her a spot at Harvard.
As per the publication, Ms. Razdan was just one of the prominent journalists and media personalities that this sophisticated scam has targeted. To add, the cybercriminals behind the scam created a constellation of other interlocking personas stretching across Twitter, Gmail, Facebook, and WhatsApp to pursue certain women for months at a time.
Another Journalist was Targeted
As of the moment, the perpetrators have successfully covered their tracks, but The New York Times has been able to review metadata, private messages, and emails sent to the victims. With that, the identity of the scammers remains a secret.
The first-ever target of the scam was another victim by the name of Rohini Singh, a female journalist, who received a Twitter message from a personality called "Tauseef Ahmed" who posed as a master's student at the Harvard Kennedy School.
How Ms. Singh Found the Invitation Sketchy
Ahmed said that he was from the same hometown as Ms. Singh in Lucknow. To expand, they talked about Lucknow, and he invited her to participate in a media conference saying Harvard would pay for all the expenses.
Despite being intrigued, she was still suspicious, especially after Ahmad introduced her to a colleague called Alex Hirschman, who emailed her from a Gmail account instead of the official Harvard.edu email address.
Disaster Averted as Ms. Singh Ceased Communication
To add to the suspicion, both characters did not have telephone numbers that were based in the United States. With that, the two asked her for her passport details along with photos for promotional purposes.
Ms. Singh ceased communication after a few days due to her conviction that their entreaty was just a scam.
Another Journalist Targeted by the Harvard Scam
The next target was Zainab Sikander, another female journalist who received a Twitter Message from the same Tauseef Ahmad inviting her to a media conference at Harvard. To expand, this was the same message sent to Ms. Singh, although the two didn't know that other women had been targeted.
Ms. Sikander, however, wasn't thrown off by the numbers used not being from the United States. To add, the scammers even confirmed her flights and hotel have been booked, even asking her if "this room and this hotel fine for you?"
She asked for a formal invitation from the dean, but when nothing arrived, Ms. Sikander broke off contact.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
