Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team has issued a warning over a spike in scam messages promising cash prizes, urging citizens to stay vigilant against phishing attempts using fake SMS and WhatsApp links during Independence Day celebrations.
Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team has warned the public about a scam circulating around Independence Day that uses fake SMS and WhatsApp messages to promise Rs. 13,000 in cash. According to the advisory, the messages are designed to tempt people into opening links that could steal personal or financial information.
National CERT said the fraudulent texts and chats may appear to offer a government-linked payout, but the links they contain can be used for phishing, a tactic in which criminals try to trick users into handing over sensitive details. The team urged people not to tap suspicious links, share identity or banking information, or reply to the messages.
The warning fits a wider pattern of spoofed cash-offer scams in Pakistan. In February, the National Database and Registration Authority said false videos were spreading online under the name of former chairman Usman Yousuf Mubin and misleading people into believing they were entitled to cash prizes. In March, a fake “Maryam Nawaz Eidi Scheme” was promoted through a privately registered website that collected personal data, while in May a bogus “13,000 Eid Ul Adha Shahbaz Sharif Program” was flagged as unverified.
Authorities have also been dealing with prize scams that move beyond social media. Pakistan Today reported in May that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency arrested two suspects in Dera Ghazi Khan over an alleged fake prize call operation, in which callers posed as government representatives and demanded fees before releasing supposed winnings. National CERT has told citizens to delete, block and report suspicious messages, and to check doubtful links through its Phish-Radar platform before taking any action.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
