The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has apprehended a fraudulent groupresponsible for using fake biometric machines to issue Mobilelink phone SIMs. The fraudsters used these SIMSto loot citizens after registering their biometric impression against acounterfeit biometric machine.
As per inquiry reports, the arrests were made in Lahore, Sargodha, andFaisalabad. Thousands of SIMs and fake instruments were seized in recurringraids.——————————
Before the arrest, an initial FIA probe against the accused individualsrevealed that most of them were employees and staff members of numerouscellular service offices, who had been fired on charges of fraud.
Details suggest that the accused had acquired credentials of people onpaper, mostly fingerprints of poor widows and functionally illiterateindividuals. After arrest, their interrogation revealed that more than200,000 SIMs had been issued through substandard biometric machines, whichwere used for swindling large sums of money.
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The FIA Cyber Crime Wing has sent a detailed report on the case to relevantdivisions of the establishment, including the Pakistan TelecommunicationAuthority (PTA) and Interior Ministry.——————————
The agency is currently making efforts to legislate reforms for monitoringthe country’s cellular backdrop. The Cyber Crime Wing is preparing a legalaction suit against the arrested individuals.
