India, Aug. 7 -- A reputed Parsi businessman has become the unlikely face of a birthday scam, after cybercriminals impersonated him to dupe fellow members of the Parsi community into donating money to a fake charity. The audacious fraud, disguised as an invitation to his 80th birthday celebration, has triggered a police probe into an elaborate email con.

Captain Percy Meher Master, a respected maritime entrepreneur and global president of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC), was horrified to discover that his name and photo had been misused in mass emails soliciting donations from prominent Parsi industrialists across the city.

According to the police, the scammers crafted an emotional appeal: the email claimed Captain Mast...