The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Lahore Zone on Friday raided two illegal call centers involved in international telecom fraud, arresting 12 suspects, including two women, and confiscating 28 digital devices. According to a spokesperson, the operations were executed at 'Solution Hub' in Batapur and 'Task Taker' in Punjab Housing Society following search warrants issued by a competent court on credible intelligence.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the illegal establishments were defrauding foreign nationals in Canada, the United States, and other countries through deceptive offers of mobile phone upgrades, network packages, and SIM deals. The suspects allegedly impersonated customer service representatives of international telecommunication companies, including Rogers, Bell, Telus, and AT&T, to harvest financial credentials and execute carding fraud.

During the first raid, Arsala Tahir alongside six male accomplices—Muhammad Sameer Tahir, Hussain Rizwan, Abdul Rehman, Umar Khalid, Syed Ali Murtaza, and Sohaib Ali—were apprehended. In the second action, Ayesha Muzammil and four men—Moazzam Sultan, Zain Ashraf, Zain, and Muhammad Faisal—were taken into custody.

Enforcement teams seized 13 laptops, two desktop computers, and 13 mobile phones containing automated dial-up software and foreign contact databases. The digital devices were sent for forensic analysis. Cases were registered and further investigations were underway. NCCIA Additional Director Atif Ameer affirmed that crackdowns against illegal call centers and financial data abuse will continue across the region.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)