Man loses savings after sharing bank details

Victim says he trusted the caller and provided bank account details

VEHARI: A man was deprived of his life’s savings after criminals cleaned out his account in Burewala, Vehari District on Friday.

Victim Ahsan Rasheed told Express News that he runs a spare parts business in the city. He added that an unidentified person called him on his cellphone and claimed he was speaking from the head office of a local bank.

He maintained the caller inquired about his bank account details, CNIC and other information. Ahsan mentioned that he trusted the caller and provided relevant information to him.

“However, the next day I needed money so I went to the bank branch to withdraw cash. But when I reached there, I was told that my account is empty and that all the money had been withdrawn via the ATM,” he complained.

The victim said he immediately lodged a complaint with the bank manager, police and the Federal Investigation Agency over the matter. He appealed to authorities to arrest the culprits and recover the looted amount.

Recently, a number of bank customers from across the country fell prey to fraudulent activity and complained of unauthorised withdrawals from their accounts. This resulted in the blockage of several ATM cards after reports surfaced of wide-scale incidents.

Cybercriminals challenged the technology-driven banking system in Pakistan at a time when the country is looking to increase financial inclusion and bring more people into the formal sector.

Some time ago, the FIA cybercrime circle had held several Chinese nationals and Pakistani citizens who were found involved in similar cases from Punjab and Sindh.

Pakistan has faced a surge in cybercrime over the past couple of years. To cope with the challenges, the government recently framed cybercrime laws. As such cases became more common, the challenge for the government has increased, said an analyst.