Wipro receives threat e-mail once again seeking Rs 500 crore in bitcoin

The IT major had received similar e-mail threats earlier in May

IT giant Wipro said that it had received a threat mail for the second time in less than a month. Security has been beefed up following the threat. In a threat e-mail, blackmailers demanded that Rs 500 crore be paid in bitcoins failing which the company may have to face 'dire consequences'.

Wipro in a statement said that the email demanded digital currency to be deposited within 72 hours. The company's Bengaluru headquarters received the mail. On May 5 a similar mail had been sent to Wipro where the sender threatened to launch a bio attack on employees if a ransom was not paid.

"Wipro confirms that it has received a second threatening email. Wipro has reinforced security measures at all its office locations. There is no impact on the company's operations," a statement from Wipro said.

A complaint has been lodged with the police who suspect that both e-mails were sent from the same ID and IP address located in Switzerland. The investigating officials have sought the help of Union home ministry to identify the cyber criminal. It is suspected that the IP address has been masked to mislead investigators as it is the norm with such cyber crimes.

"If you ignore my threats you will face severe trouble. This is the last chance I am giving you to pay the ransom or get ready to face the disaster," read a mail that came from [email protected]. An earlier threat mail was also sent from the same ID and had threatened to attack Wipro employees with Ricin, a natural toxic protein. The local police failed to make any headway after a complaint was filed following the first threat mail and sought the CID cyber crime wing. Officials of the wing traced the IP address to Switzerland.

Help has been sought from the Interpol wing of the CBI to track the user. Following the second threat letter, Bengaluru police have written to the Union Home Ministry seeking help to access information from Switzerland even as officials suspect that the cyber criminal has masked the IP address and is operating from India.

OneIndia News