A Pakistani lawmaker, Dr. Nikhat Shakeel, has become the latest victim of an online fraud scheme, highlighting the growing threat of cybercrime in the country.
Dr. Shakeel, who serves as a member of the National Assembly from MQM (Pakistan), reported that scammers gained access to her WhatsApp account and deceived several of her relatives and contacts into transferring large sums of money.
According to the Pakistani lawmaker, the incident occurred early Sunday morning when she received repeated calls from individuals posing as officials from the Pakistan Meteorological Department. The callers demanded a verification code, which she mistakenly shared while half-asleep. This small lapse allowed the scammers to take full control of her WhatsApp account.
Once inside her account, the hackers began contacting dozens of her friends, family members, and professional associates. Many were tricked into sending money, while some managed to avoid the scam after verifying the messages.
“The scammers reached my family, friends, and professional contacts. Some were deceived and transferred money, while few escaped by verifying the messages,” said Dr. Shakeel.
The stolen money was reportedly transferred to multiple bank accounts and mobile wallets created under fake identities. Despite her efforts to seek help from banks, they allegedly refused to cooperate, claiming that her account was not registered with them.
Dr. Shakeel filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). However, she revealed that the agency’s online complaint system has been nonfunctional since October, making it nearly impossible for victims to report such crimes effectively. Even her personal visit to the Islamabad office failed to produce any results.
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“This incident shows that if it can happen to a Member of the National Assembly, ordinary citizens are at massive risk,” the Pakistani lawmaker warned. Authorities continue to urge the public not to share verification codes or click on suspicious links, as online scams in Pakistan show no signs of slowing down.
