SriLankan Airlines cleared of wrongdoing in UAE payment cyber fraud

Colombo, June 29 (Daily Mirror) - SriLankan Airlines has been cleared of any wrongdoing in a payment made to a UAE-based service provider after investigations found that the funds had been successfully remitted and that the cyber attack had occurred on the recipient's side, Deputy Minister of Ports and Aviation Janitha Kodituwakku said yesterday.

Earlier, SriLankan Airlines, according to a statement from it, was informed by a service provider based in Dubai, UAE, that it had not received funds for a payment of AED 974,000 made to them. It was subsequently discovered that the said service provider’s email account had been compromised by a third party, who had altered the bank account details and provided requested additional documentary proof through the established official communication channels and misled SriLankan Airlines into believing it was dealing directly with the legitimate service provider, the national carrier said earlier.

Asked about the matter, the Deputy Minister said that the cyber attack had happened at the recipient's end, and therefore it had been marked as a cleared payment.