ISLAMABAD: In a concerning cyber security incident, the WhatsApp account of Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was compromised by hackers who are now allegedly using his profile to solicit funds from his contacts.
In a statement shared via X (formerly Twitter), Barrister Gohar disclosed that his WhatsApp account was hacked around 11 am today. He further explained that the account has since been deleted from his device, and scammers are attempting to impersonate him by requesting monetary transfers.
“I have been informed that my WhatsApp account was hacked earlier today around 11 am. The account has now been removed from my phone, and fraudulent requests for money are being made from my number. Please disregard any such messages,” he urged the public.
The PTI leader emphasized that he has already contacted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing to report the breach and warned that his phone number remains active, possibly still vulnerable to misuse. He called on the authorities to take swift action to prevent further damage or data exploitation.
“Kindly ignore any suspicious requests and be cautious. I am working with authorities to resolve this issue,” Gohar added.
In recent months, Pakistan has seen a surge in WhatsApp account hijacking incidents, raising national concern. The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NPCERT) issued an advisory earlier this year, warning of a significant increase in such attacks, which are often carried out through social engineering methods rather than technical vulnerabilities.
The advisory detailed common tactics used by hackers, including tricking users into sharing OTPs, manipulating call forwarding, sending phishing links, and distributing malicious QR codes designed to hijack accounts. Once compromised, these accounts are exploited for impersonation, financial scams, private data access, and spreading malicious content.
Authorities continue to urge users to stay vigilant and adopt cybersecurity best practices to safeguard their digital identities against evolving cyber threats.
