The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has issued a critical warning regarding a sudden surge in WhatsApp Business account hacking targeting local users. Speaking at a press conference, Shehzad Akbar, Deputy Director of the NCCIA Karachi Zone, highlighted recent enforcement operations and advised the public to exercise extreme online caution. Over a 15-day period, the agency successfully recovered 39 compromised social media accounts across platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, while blocking 95 accounts actively involved in causing financial losses to citizens. Additionally, targeted legal action was taken against 38 fake accounts involved in harassing women online.
During the briefing, the agency also detailed a major raid exposing an international dark web network exploiting minors for illicit video creation. Financed by handlers based in Germany and the UK, the perpetrators offered $100 per video while paying local minors a small fraction of PKR 6,000. The operation resulted in the arrest of 42 suspects, including 12 minors, and the capture of the primary ringleader named Fida, who operated three front companies and managed encrypted “red rooms” to distribute tasks. Reaffirming their commitment to national security, the NCCIA confirmed ongoing measures against anti-state digital activities, including the recent arrest of a suspect named Hamza on anti-state charges.
