FIA Cyber Crime wing arrests fraudulent group in fake phone SIMs scandal
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The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has apprehended a fraudulent group responsible for using fake biometric machines to issue Mobile link phone SIMs. The fraudsters used these SIMS to loot citizens after registering their biometric impression against a counterfeit biometric machine.
As per inquiry reports, the arrests were made in Lahore, Sargodha, and Faisalabad. Thousands of SIMs and fake instruments were seized in recurring raids. ------------------------------
Before the arrest, an initial FIA probe against the accused individuals revealed that most of them were employees and staff members of numerous cellular service offices, who had been fired on charges of fraud.
Details suggest that the accused had acquired credentials of people on paper, mostly fingerprints of poor widows and functionally illiterate individuals. After arrest, their interrogation revealed that more than 200,000 SIMs had been issued through substandard biometric machines, which were used for swindling large sums of money.
The FIA Cyber Crime Wing has sent a detailed report on the case to relevant divisions of the establishment, including the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Interior Ministry. ------------------------------
The agency is currently making efforts to legislate reforms for monitoring the country’s cellular backdrop. The Cyber Crime Wing is preparing a legal action suit against the arrested individuals.
