Pakistani mission warns of fake visa notices in US

The Pakistani Consulate in Los Angeles has issued a strong warning about a message circulating online and through messaging apps that falsely claims to be an "important notice" concerning Pakistan visas.

Authorities have confirmed that the message is fraudulent and is part of ongoing phishing schemes aimed at stealing personal and financial information from unsuspecting individuals.

A statement issued by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington stated: "The Consulate General disassociates itself from all such unauthorised individuals, agents, or entities and shall not be responsible for any loss, delay, misrepresentation, or other adverse consequences arising from engagement with them."

The fraudulent message falsely purports to come from the consulate and directs visa applicants to submit information through links that are not authorised by the government of Pakistan.

Such scams are designed to harvest passport details, social security numbers, bank account information, and credit card data, which can later be used for identity theft, unauthorised transactions, financial fraud and other criminal activities.

The consulate maintained that Pakistani visa applications must be submitted only through the official government online portal: https://visa.nadra.gov.pk.

Visa applicants were urged to avoid intermediaries, agents, or unauthorised websites, regardless of claims of faster processing or special access.

They were also advised to be cautious when sharing personal or financial information online, with the consulate adding that requests for social security numbers, bank details, or other identity-related data in relation to visa applications should be treated as red flags.

The applicants were urged by the consulate to verify all information directly through official channels and to report any suspicious messages or websites to the relevant authorities.

"This advisory is being issued in the public interest to protect applicants from scams that can have devastating financial and personal consequences," officials said.

The warning coincides with a significant global increase in online fraud. Data from the US Federal Trade Commission shows that consumers in the United States reported losses exceeding $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, marking a sharp rise from previous years, as scammers increasingly rely on phishing, identity theft, and impersonation schemes.