Three financial fraud suspects arrested for posing as bank employees in Islamabad

The suspects allegedly accessed bank accounts and stole nearly Rs 1.9 million.

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Three individuals associated with an organised group involved in financial fraud were arrested in Islamabad for posing as bank employees.

The arrests were made by the Cyber Crime Circle of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a significant crackdown on online financial crimes.

The suspects, Mohammad Adnan, Shahbaz Akhtar, and Mohammad Irfan, were apprehended following an extensive investigation.

According to the FIA, the trio pretended to be bank officials and contacted various citizens under false pretenses.

They managed to obtain sensitive banking information and unlawfully accessed three separate accounts, stealing a total of over Rs1.9 million.

The operation was conducted under the directives of Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who has been actively overseeing a crackdown on cybercriminal activities.

In addition to the arrests, the FIA has launched an investigation to trace other members of the gang who may be involved in similar fraudulent activities.

The use of advanced technology played a crucial role in apprehending the suspects, who are now under further interrogation.

In a similar case earlier this year, the FIA arrested a female member of a gang involved in online fraud, targeting citizens’ bank accounts.

The gang members defrauded numerous individuals of substantial amounts.

According to FIA officials, the gang came up with the scheme by exploiting vulnerabilities in online banking systems,facilitating unauthorized transfers from victims’ accounts to those controlled by the perpetrators.

The arrested woman used to call the customers’ banks via mobile phones and extract essential information to execute fraudulent transactions.

The agency’s ongoing investigation uncovered the gang’s activities, revealing that they have illicitly ob-tained millions of rupees through their fraudulent practices.

The arrested woman shared crucial details with the agency, including her involvement in the withdrawal and transfer of Rs1,880,000 from a single bank customer’s account.

Further revelations from the suspect highlighted the gang’s modus operandi, which relied on technological prowess and deceptive tactics.

By utilising audio recordings resembling legitimate bank calls and employing various proxies,
The criminals impersonated bank representatives to fool victims.

After gaining access to a target’s account, the gang immediately transferred large sums to controlled accounts within a 48-hour window, evading detection.