Over 227,000 Pakistanis lose Rs8.32 billion to cyber fraud in three years

Profit reported, citing official documents, that more than 227,000 people in Pakistan have been defrauded of a combined Rs8.32 billion through cyber scams over three years. Serving and former parliamentarians are counted among those affected. The documents show the losses span various fraud schemes reported to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

According to the figures, complaints reached 227,757 over the period, with 83,080 filed in 2024, 76,646 in 2025 and 68,031 in the following year. Six lawmakers lost a combined Rs2.749 million between them. Individual amounts ranged from Rs30,000 to Rs970,000, and the agency recovered more than Rs918,000 for three senators.

Sources at the agency told the publication that most reported cases involved hacked WhatsApp accounts or phone calls from people posing as bank staff and staff of other institutions. They also indicated the real victim count could be higher, because thousands of people reportedly lose Rs2,000 to Rs20,000 every day and never file a report, often due to the small sums or other reasons.