Man deprived of savings by crook in Faisalabad

Victim said the man asked him to give him his ATM card so that he could help him withdraw money

FAISALABAD:  

A man was deprived of his savings after a criminal cleaned out his account in Faisalabad on Wednesday.

Victim Abdul Rehman, a resident of Abdullah Pur Chowk, Mansoorabad, told Express News that he went to an ATM to withdraw money.

He added that when he went into the ATM booth, an unidentified man standing there told him that the machine was not working properly.

He maintained that the man asked him to give him his card so that he can help him withdraw the money. Abdul Rehman lamented that he trusted the man and gave him his card and PIN code.

He said that the man allegedly changed the ATM card with a similar one and returned it to him and went away saying that the machine was out of order.

The victim pointed out that later he received a message from the bank saying that Rs50,000 had been withdrawn from his account.

The victim said he immediately lodged a complaint with the bank manager and police officials over the matter. The police have registered a case and started investigations.

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 was looking to increase financial inclusion and bringing 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.