How to report online fraud in Pakistan
If you were cheated by a betting app, a fake agent or someone who took over your wallet, reporting it helps you and helps stop others from being targeted. Here is a simple order to follow.
Step 1: Stop and save evidence
- Do not send any more money, even if you are promised that it will unlock a withdrawal.
- Take screenshots of the app, website address, chats, payment numbers and profile names.
- Save transaction IDs, dates and amounts from your wallet or bank app.
- Write down a short timeline of what happened.
Step 2: Contact your wallet or bank
Call the official helpline shown inside your wallet or banking app. Report the transaction as fraud and ask for a complaint reference number. See wallet fraud for details to give them.
If your bank does not resolve the complaint, you can escalate it to the State Bank of Pakistan's complaint portal (Sunwai) or to the Banking Mohtasib Pakistan.
Step 3: Report the cyber crime
Online fraud, hacking and blackmail are crimes under PECA 2016. Cyber crime complaints are handled by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which took over this work from the FIA's Cyber Crime Wing. Use its official website or helpline to file a complaint, and attach your evidence.
Step 4: Report the website or app
You can report unlawful websites and content to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) through its official complaint portal on pta.gov.pk. Include the exact web address or app name.
If you are being blackmailed
- Do not pay. Paying usually leads to more demands.
- Do not delete the messages. Save them as evidence.
- Tell someone you trust and report it to the cyber crime agency.
Be careful of "recovery agents"
After a loss, people are often contacted by someone who promises to recover the money for a fee. This is usually a second scam. Official agencies do not charge you to file a complaint.