ISLAMABAD: More than 227,000 people have fallen victim to cyber fraud in Pakistan over the past three years, losing around Rs8.32 billion to online scams, official data revealed on Saturday.
The data shows that 83,080 complaints were registered in 2024, followed by 76,646 in 2025. More than 68,000 complaints were reported in the following year. The victims included people from different sections of society, including parliamentarians and other prominent figures.
In many cases, fraudsters reportedly took amounts ranging from Rs2,000 to Rs20,000 through fraudulent phone calls, fake identities and manipulated digital accounts. Despite the relatively small amount involved in some cases, while in some cases the victims have been deprived of billions of rupees.
Official records show that six parliamentarians collectively lost around Rs2.75 million to cyber fraud. Among them, Sahibzada Hamid Raza reportedly lost Rs490,000, while Senator Falak Naz Chitrali was defrauded of Rs485,000.
Bilal Ahmed Mandokhail lost Rs403,500, while Senator Niaz Ahmed reportedly lost Rs30,000. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly member Shehla Bano lost Rs370,800, while another lawmaker suffered a loss of Rs970,000. PML-N Vehari MNA Syed Sajid Mehdi was also among those targeted by cyber fraudsters.
There has been some recovery in individual cases. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) recovered money in three cases involving Senator Falak Naz, Bilal Ahmed and Senator Niaz Ahmed. However, the recovered amounts are only a small portion of the billions of rupees reportedly lost to cyber fraud.
Officials say cybercriminals are increasingly using WhatsApp hacking and fraudulent phone calls to target people. Scammers often impersonate bank officials or representatives of other institutions and persuade victims to share sensitive information or transfer money.
The growing number of complaints shows how quickly online scams are spreading, allowing fraudsters to target people through mobile phones and digital platforms and cause financial losses within minutes.
