Some garment manufacturers in Bangladesh escaped becoming victims of online fraud after a racket of swindlers attempted to swindle money from western buyers by breaching the email information of the concerned garment exporters recently, claimed media reports.

Three apparel exporters have recently informed the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) that their email information had been breached and the buyers were asked to divert payment to different accounts, following which the apex garment makers’ body has asked all its members to remain alert against deceptive emails.

“We usually send a confirmation email against all documents sent and payment. The hacker used almost the same email address, changing a single letter,” Iqbal Hamid Quraishi, a garment exporter told the media, adding, “After the fraud attempt, I requested my buyer to stop making payments.”

Apart from Iqbal, a couple more factories have also been targeted by the hackers.

Following the incidents, the BGMEA has requested all its members to check details of email correspondence related to payment and remain aware about digital forgery.