Fake biometric machines

The majority of culprits involved in the scam have been identified through mobile phone


February 09, 2021

False knowledge is worse than ignorance. Criminals always try to be smarter than law enforcers, but they are soon undone. The FIA has busted a gang of fraudsters involved in swindling people of billions of rupees. Their modus operandi was based on issuing mobile phone SIMs by using fake biometric machines. The gang members, arrested in Lahore, Faisalabad and Sargodha, told FIA officials that 200,000 SIMs of different cellular networks had been issued through fake verification in Punjab. They revealed that fingerprints of poor women had been obtained in exchange for basic food items. These fingerprints were used for illegally issuing SIMs. Thousands of unlawful SIMs have been seized from their possession. SIMs acquired by the use of counterfeit biometric machines has made it difficult for the FIA to investigate cases of online blackmailing and sexual harassment. Fake biometric machines are proving a major hurdle in the way of identifying the culprits. The majority of culprits involved in the scam have been identified through mobile phone location or by calling them to a place with the help of a complainant.

This brings us to an important question: why did the authorities not take into account chances of presence of counterfeit and tampered biometric machines before introducing this instrument in the country? No data is available on how many biometric machines are there in the country and where they originated nor is there a method to ascertain whether a machine was real or counterfeit. The FIA subjected the confiscated fake machines to forensic tests that established the falsehood. This also revealed negligence by relevant authorities, as they did not foresee the misuse of counterfeit machines or the chances of tampering with original machines. The FIA has drawn the authorities’ attention to the shortcomings so that corrective measures could be taken. It is better late than never. Now a crackdown on sale and purchase of illegal SIMs is underway throughout the country. More than 75% of frauds are being carried out by using illegal SIMs.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2021.

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