Face verification is now required for SIM cards under PTA’s new fraud measures.
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s fight against identity and financial fraud has uncovered a troubling flaw in the country’s biometric SIM system, with officials warning that scammers are exploiting weaknesses in fingerprints and authentication mechanisms to fuel cybercrime.
The alarming revelations came during a National Assembly committee briefing, where Minister of State for Home Affairs Talal Chaudhry revealed that authorities have blocked 18.2 million illegal SIM cards over the past two-and-a-half years.
But despite the massive crackdown, officials admit that the current system has yet to fully stop identity theft and financial fraud.
PTA Chairman Retired Major General Hafeezur Rahman told lawmakers that fraudsters are allegedly getting fingerprints from places like airports, passport offices and driving license centres, while the possibility of biometric data being accessed by NADRA was also raised.
The PTA chief said criminals are managing to bypass biometric security measures designed to verify identity before issuing SIM cards.
NCCIA Director Irfanullah Khan further shed light on the scale of the crackdown, revealing that investigators have seized 195 active SIM cards and 81 ATM cards allegedly used by fraudsters.
Joint operations by NCCIA and PTA resulted in raids on 110 installations, blocking of around 29,000 illegal SIM cards and arrest of 171 suspects. Investigators also recovered data on nearly 600,000 people.
Authorities also raised the alarm over the growing use of rental and mule bank accounts, which can be used to transfer or hide money obtained through scams.
Chaudhary urged telecom operators to strengthen their security systems and work closely with the PTA to prevent criminals from exploiting vulnerabilities in telecom networks.
The PTA has proposed a major change in the SIM registration process, recommending that SIMs be issued exclusively through NADRA’s PAKID system.
An SBP official suggested another possible security measure, linking each SIM card to an IMEI number.
MNA Khawaja Izharul Hasan proposed an additional layer of protection: citizens should receive an automated SMS alert whenever another SIM is registered against their CNIC, potentially spotting suspicious registrations immediately.
The committee has now directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to bring together SBP, PTA, NCCIA and telecom operators to take legislative, regulatory and technical measures to combat illegal SIMs and strengthen Pakistan’s defenses against cyber fraud.
The post Face verification is now necessary for SIM cards under PTA’s new fraud measures appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
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