A Pakistani woman has fallen victim to a sophisticated scam related to Apple iPhone devices as incident highlights uptick in cybercrimes, and prompted warnings from cybersecurity experts.
The woman shared her ordeal in a voice note on WhatsApp, saying she received a call from an individual claiming to be from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The caller, who had detailed information about her phone model, asserted that her device was not PTA-approved and would soon be blocked. Despite her attempts to clarify that she had purchased her iPhone 13 Pro from a reputed source in Lahore’s Hafeez Centre, the scammer persisted, claiming that PTA payment for her phone was pending.
Confused by the situation, the woman inquired about the registration process for her phone. The scammer instructed her to check her Gmail account, where she purportedly found an email from “PTA.GOv.Pk.” Unbeknownst to her, the email address was a cleverly disguised phishing attempt. Upon clicking the link in the email, she was directed to a fraudulent WhatsApp verification page.
iPhone PTA Tax Scam in Pakistan
To her shock, her WhatsApp application vanished from her device immediately after clicking on the pop-up. The scammer assured her that restarting her phone would resolve the issue and proceeded to distract her with technical jargon about firewalls and other false information.
The woman got hints soon about the scam soon and she contacted Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime Wing. Investigators revealed that the email she received was a cleverly changed, to deceive users into disclosing their personal information. In addition to losing control of her WhatsApp account, the woman reported that the hackers had also accessed and removed her personal pictures and other sensitive data.
The woman has since shared her experience online, warning others to be vigilant. She disclosed that she had been coerced into returning Rs5lac to her acquaintances, further illustrating the scammers’ trap.
This incident serves as another reminder of modern cyber threats. Pakistanis are advised to be cautious when receiving unsolicited communications and to verify the authenticity of any requests for personal information.
