Schoolteacher deprived of savings by crooks

The caller lured victim by offering him Rs0.3 million. He inquired about his bank account details to transfer amount

OUR CORRESPONDENT: A schoolteacher was deprived of his life’s savings after criminals cleaned out his account in Noorpur Thal Tehsil, Khushab District on Wednesday.

Muhammad Ali, a resident of Rangpur area, received a call on his cellphone from an unidentified person. The caller told him that he had won a prize of Rs0.3 million in cash and he had to pay Rs15,000 to him so that he could transfer the amount to his account.

The accused caller also inquired about his bank account details, CNIC and other information. The victim trusted the caller and provided the relevant information to him. He also transferred Rs15,000 to the culprit through easy paisa.

However, after a few hours, when Ali did not receive any response from the caller, he got suspicious and went to his bank to inquire about his account balance. When he reached there, the bank officials told him that all the money had been withdrawn from his account via the ATM.

The victim lodged a complaint with the bank manager and police. 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 have 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 become more common, the challenge for the government has increased, said an analyst.