Federal Investigation Agency ’s Cyber Crime Wing has arrested an international gang that had been robbing people by collecting “processing fees” after declaring them winners of non-existent lotteries, jobs and businesses, reported Dawn Paper today.
Dawn while citing Mr. Ammar Jaffery confirmed that FIA arrested two Nigerians and one Pakistani after finding them guilty.
After it arrested the two foreigners, the wing’s Rawalpindi Zone office received a call from a man pretending to be a police officer. “We traced the caller and arrested him. He turned out to be a member of the gang,” the FIA official said.
“We are in search of around 400 other Pakistanis involved in serious online financial offences,” he said.
It merits mentioning here that Pakistanis internet users receive these fraudulent emails on daily basis, which claim them winners of high paying lotteries, job and bank loans etc. When the innocent people reply back these emails, attackers ask them for processing fee. However, they never appear once they receive payments from targets.
Mr Jaffery said the gang which his wing busted had been working in a very organised manner. It was unearthed when a gang member was arrested red-handed receiving a fat “processing fee” from the winner of a fake lottery. Euros 8,600 and $3,000 were recovered from the arrested man.
Investigations conducted by the FIA revealed that most of the cyber financial frauds originated in Africa or countries where cyber laws are ineffective.
Cyber gangs trap people by sending copy of a fake cheque through e-mail informing them that they had won a lottery and asking for $400 to $500 as fee to process the big win for them.
“They prey on the gullibility and greed of their victims by quoting wins of millions of dollars,” said the FIA official. “As one starts replying to their e-mails, the online criminals know they have hooked a prey.”
“They will ask about your bank account info, a complete bio data and act in ways that you start believing that the people you are interacting with are trustworthy and real. But in the end the activity turns out to be fake and unlawful,” Mr Jaffery said.
FIA’s Cyber Crime Wing shared the information about the gang it has just busted with the Serious Organized Crime Agency of Britain which sent a team to Pakistan.
“We are hopeful to arrest all those who are involved in this illegal organised crime. Our international liaison is going on with many other countries and we are getting very productive results,” said Mr Jaffery.
I WAS RECEIVED FRAUDULENT E-MAILS FROM MR.ALAN WEST, 45-AWOLOWO DRIVE, IKOYI – LAGOS P.O.BOX # 234, ILUPEJU-MARY LAND, LAGOS.TEL # 2348034284518 & 2347025748648 PROMISE ME TO BUSINESS IN PAKISTAN, HIS RELATIVE LEFT $12 MILLIONS IN DORMAT A/C.IN NATION WIDE BANK U.K, MR.STEPHEN SMITH DIRECTOR FOREIGN REMITANCE ASK ME SEND ABOUT $40,000/= I WAS WORKED IN SOUTH KOREA & ALL MY EARNING MONEY IS U.S.$ 20,000.00 I HAVE SENT TO MR.STEPHEN SMITH IN DIFFERENT TIMES
ON A/C. OF ACCOUNT OPENING FEES, PROCESSING FEES ETC,.NOW MY
POSITION IS HAND TO MOUTH PLEASE HELP ME TO RECOVER MY HARD LABOUR EARNING MONEY, I HAVE ALL THE EVIDENCE PLEASE LET ME KNOW E-MAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN SUBMIT MY CASE FOR YOUR KIND PERUSAL PLEASE.
THANKING YOU AND HOPE YOUR COOPERATION PLEASE.
http://www.nr3c.com this is the webside of national responce center of cyber crime
hi i got calls from this number 03143369700 and he was qupoting himself as imran..
i have listened to few audio clips on net and his voice exactly matched with those voices.. i urge the respected authority to take stern action against such criminals…
Dear Mr Jabran
You are knocking at the wrong door. According to DG FIA investigation of money transferred by victims to money mules of scammers does not fall in their jurisdiction. He says such cases should be registered with normal police at station from where the money was transferred. Kamal