Pakistani authorities and digital rights groups have raised alarms about a growing number of sophisticated WhatsApp-based scams that deceive users through fake job offers and courier code hoaxes.
The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), in social media, reported multiple incidents of scammers posing as delivery riders or representatives from the Higher Education Commission (HEC). In these scams, victims are asked to share verification codes, often framed as delivery confirmations. Once the codes are provided, the scammers hijack the victims’ WhatsApp accounts.
The DRF emphasized that verification codes should only be shared with official courier company numbers, advising citizens to verify any requests directly with helpline numbers before sharing codes. The organization also urged users never to share verification codes, regardless of how convincing or urgent the request may seem, and encouraged reporting such scams to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) at 0800-55055.
In a separate development, the National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT), part of Pakistan’s cybersecurity framework, issued a warning about a more advanced scam targeting freelancers and job seekers, particularly in Punjab.Â
According to the advisory, scammers are using WhatsApp and Telegram to lure victims into fake job offers disguised as recruitment hubs or training sessions. Once inside these groups, victims are exposed to explicit content, and scammers posing as law enforcement officials threaten them with legal action unless they pay large sums, often between Rs1 million and 1.5 million.
CERT’s advisory noted that these scams often exploit public social media profiles and lax privacy settings, leading to blackmail attempts. It urged users to limit group additions, avoid sharing personal information publicly, and report suspicious groups or messages to cybercrime authorities. Victims are advised not to engage with extortionists and to report incidents to official portals such as NCCIA, PTA, and PKCERT.
