KARACHI: Member National Assembly (MNA) Dr. Nikhat Shakeel, whose family was defrauded of Rs. 1.5 million in a recent online scam.
The distressing incident, which underscores how easily prominent individuals can fall prey to digital fraudsters, was shared by Dr. Shakeel during the morning show “Bakhabar Savera”She explained that the scam unfolded early Sunday when an unknown person kept calling her persistently. The caller claimed to possess urgent official documents from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) concerning a health committee meeting scheduled for that day.
Dr. Shakeel pointed out that the scammers were “extremely alert and clever,” noting they exploited routine official procedures—such as the frequent need for quick access to documents—to make their approach seem authentic.Despite disconnecting the call multiple times, the caller insisted on delivering the supposed official papers. Soon after, she realized her phone had been compromised, suspecting it had been hacked.
Her efforts to report the incident revealed significant gaps within the country’s cyber security framework. When asked about filing a formal complaint, she disclosed she had submitted reports online through the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) website and via WhatsApp, but had yet to receive any response.
Shakeel also visited the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) office in Islamabad, where she recounted that the security guard at the gate refused her entry and prevented her from meeting the Director General. “Even after introducing myself, the gate was not opened,” she said.
Her frustration grew when she visited the NCCIA office on the following working day. An official there, after verifying her identity, informed her that she needed to file the complaint in Karachi since the fraud technically occurred there. Finally, when she approached the FIA office in Karachi, she was told that the online complaint portal had been out of service since early October.
