The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has warned citizens, not to share any verification codes with others citing a rise in cybercrime incidents.
As per FIA statement cybercriminals have been impersonating representatives of well-known institutions such as the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), and the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC).
FIA stated that these scammers contact to individuals via social media platforms especially through WhatsApp. They claim be the representative of reputed organizations.
The agency explained that scammers often pressure victims into sharing their verification codes, using pretexts such as degree verification. Once they obtain the code, they gain unauthorized access to the victim’s WhatsApp account, using it to launch scams targeting their contacts.
The FIA has urged the public to stay alert and report any suspicious activities to its Cyber Crime Wing.
Earlier the FIA disclosed that over 1,400 WhatsApp accounts had been hacked nationwide in July alone.
Since July 1, the Cyber Crime Wing has received 1,426 complaints of hacked accounts, though this figure excludes cases that have yet to be officially filed. Of these, 549 accounts have been recovered, and the details have been submitted to the Senate, according to the FIA.
