FIA forms task force to crack down on online fraudsters

The director of the Cyber Crime Wing (CCW) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Sindh, Dr Farooq, has formed a task force to curb the menace of online frauds, especially on social media, where several fraudsters have cheated innocent citizens out of million of rupees. They will also consult with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in this regard.

Officials said that the office of the CCW Karachi has been receiving a number of reports of frauds being committed on social media, especially through Facebook and WhatsApp, where mafias have been circulating ads claiming of selling non-Custom products at the cheapest prices, which are completely fraudulent.

They added that nowadays in different cities of Pakistan, ‘Non-Custom Mobile WhatsApp Group’ can be found on many people’s mobile phones, as these groups have been created to defraud unsuspecting boys and girls.

In such groups, the admin sends photos of mobiles, laptops and watches, with prices of mobiles and laptops at Rs15,000, and prices of watches at Rs5,000, thus especially luring people from poor economic backgrounds.

Investigations have revealed that innocent people get lured in and texts the admin requesting the mobile, then the admin asks them to pay half the price through a branchless banking service, assuring them that they can pay the remaining amount at the time of receiving their parcel.

The happy customer pays half the price, then the admin asks them to wait for five minutes before they are sent a video clip showing the packing of their parcel and courier slip, but they are sent a fake courier slip.

The customer is told they will receive their parcel within 24 hours, and they are asked not to visit the courier office because their goods are non-Custom, so they have set up their own courier office.

After the 24 hours pass, the customer gets a text on WhatsApp from a fake courier number, telling them that they are bringing them their parcel, asking them to send their slip and the parcel packing video. The customer sends both things, but since the CN number is crossed in the slip, they are asked for the CN number.

The customer messages the admin asking for the CN number, and the admin makes them wait two minutes, then the admin texts them that their payment is outstanding, asking them to pay the remaining amount to get the CN number.

The customer complies with the demand, then the admin sends them the CN number, which the customer forwards to the fake courier number. The fake courier person tells the customer that their non-Custom vehicle is being checked right now, so they would have to wait half an hour.

Half an hour later, the courier person texts that the Customs have seized all their goods, then they ask for more money to deliver the parcel, assuring them that they can sell their mobile in the market for Rs60,000 to Rs70,000.

At this point one should certainly understand they are being fooled, but some people still follow through and send more money to the fraudsters, said the officials, adding that such groups are operating in almost every city of Pakistan.

They said that the customers do not know where the fraudsters are from, adding that if someone asks them the address of their warehouse, they give you a different address, mostly a Balochistan address, and they talk to you very politely and you fall into their trap.

Another commonly reported fraud is the SMS fraud in which a person receives a call asking them if they have been vaccinated. If they have been vaccinated, they are asked to press 1, but if not, then 2. When they press 1, their phone is blocked and their bank and other sensitive and personal details are transferred to someone else’s number, a senior FIA official explained.

The official said that a high-tech scam is under way at this time called SIM Swap Fraud, adding that hundreds of people have been affected, as they suddenly find their bank accounts have been emptied.

He said that the scam starts with your phone network suddenly going blank, with no signal, them you will get a call. The caller will tell you that they are calling from your mobile phone company, informing you of a problem in your mobile network.

They will instruct you to press 1 on your phone to regain network, said the official. He advised everyone not to press any number and just end the call.

CCW Director Dr Farooq, while taking serious notice of such scams, has formed a task force to trace and arrest the criminals involved in defrauding innocent citizens.

He has also decided to consult with the PTA for retrieving the IP addresses of the criminals who are active on social media, so their locations can be traced and they can be arrested, saving people from further losses at the hands of these criminals.