Punjab

Cyber crime: Facebook accounts of CSP officers hacked

Hackers demanded money from people in friends list of officials’ Facebook accounts

Owais Qarni November 09, 2016

NA passes PECB despite criticism from opposition, rights activists. PHOTO: AFP

MULTAN: A group of hackers deprived people of thousands of rupees by hacking Facebook accounts of several CSP officers in Multan on Wednesday.

Superintendent of Police Mansoorul Haq Rana told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that a group of hackers involved in hacking Facebook accounts of civil servants was active on social media. He said his account was also hacked and hackers demanded money from the people, who were in the list of friends in his Facebook account.

He added, “Hackers with an unknown identity hacked my account and sent text messages to my friends asking them money.” He further said the subject of the text messages sent by the hackers was ‘I am (SP) in Ukraine these days and my ATM card is misplaced. I need money urgently.’

SP Mansoorul Haq maintained the hackers sent the message to at least 70 people and deprived them of Rs0.3 million. He said the hackers asked them to send the money in his name through money transfer facility. He said, “My various friends sent the money because the text messages were forwarded through my personal Facebook account,” he added.

The police official said he came to know about the hacking after six hours as he was busy in meetings and could not respond to the phone calls of his friends. “I called back one of my friends and he told me regarding the matter,” he said.

Following the incident, SP Mansoorul Haq Rana retrieved his official account and updated his status that his account was hacked. He also apologised to his friends over the matter.

He said the Federal Investigation Agency and other agencies working for the prevention of cyber crime will apprehend the hackers. He said, “They would be arrested soon.”

Earlier in April, Facebook account of former SP Multan Atif Nazir was also hacked. Hackers looted thousands of rupees by adopting the same method. Hackers provided a telephone number and asked the people in his friends list to deposit money through easy paisa.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (1)

veteran | 7 years ago | Reply There is no such thing as hacking a facebook account. Only idiot users give their password away. So, before finding the culprits, the victim officers should be fired for gross negligence. If a govt officer cant secure his own password, he must not be entrusted with any official data / responsibility at all. btw, did he just apologize to his friends, or reimbursed their money as well?

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