MANSEHRA: Many victims of the rapidly growing digital scams in the Hazara division have lost their lifesavings, fallen into drug addiction, and even attempted to harm their families in sheer desperation.

“I fell prey to an online gaming fraud. In the early days, I won small amounts, which encouraged me to bet big, but eventually, I lost all my hard-earned money and even borrowed money. I went bankrupt,” a resident told Dawn.

He said his milk shop collapsed under mounting losses, leaving him unable to cover household expenses and school fees.

“I started using narcotics. I was so fed up with my life that I even tried to harm my children. Fortunately, my family intervened, got me admitted to a rehabilitation centre, and helped me restart my life as a biker,” he added.

Thousands here and across the country are being defrauded through Ponzi schemes, impersonation, online betting and gaming, sexual harassment and blackmail, lotteries, e-commerce scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and investment schemes through social media platforms.

Official data shows around 2,000 applications taken up by NCCIA in Hazara

“This was the third day after my wedding when I received a call from a man claiming I had won a car,” Mohammad Sajid, a resident of Channia area, said, adding: “The man asked me to call another number for freight charges. When I contacted that number, I was told to pay Rs20,000 for delivery. Later, they demanded more money, claiming the car was being shipped from Dubai.”

Mr Sajid said the demands continued until his mother threatened the fraudster, who retorted that “nobody could take any action” against him.

The victims are not limited to villagers or the less educated, as a significant number of educated individuals, including government officials, have also been trapped in digital financial scams recently.

According to official data, around 2,000 applications are currently under inquiry by National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Hazara.

The data further revealed that women have also fallen prey to digital sexual harassment and subsequent financial blackmail.

A women government officer, who lost Rs100,000 to a fraudulent financial scheme online, said victims, instead of being ashamed and traumatised, should approach NCCIA and other relevant authorities for recovery of their money and fighting such frauds.

“As this is the era of Artificial Intelligence, most of the traditional crimes have shifted online,” an NCCIA official told Dawn, adding, “Ponzi scams alone account for around 70 per cent of all digital frauds.”

The data collected by this correspondent revealed a sharp rise in cybercrime cases between 2020 and the first three quarters of 2025, despite tougher amendments to Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016.

Over 2,000 inquiries are currently under process at various stages at the NCCIA Hazara office, which has received more than 12,000 complaints since its establishment in 2019.

The agency’s Peshawar circle, set up in 2016, has been probing nearly 6,000 complaints this year alone.

The Dera Ismail Khan circle has a comparatively lower caseload, with around 1,000 complaints being probed this year and a total of 5,000 since 2016, as it also functions from the provincial capital, Peshawar.

Overall, NCCIA has worked on approximately 9,000 complaints so far this year, and 27,000 complaints from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through its three circles, Peshawar, Hazara and DI Khan since its inception.

Peca 2016, which was amended in 2020, made several previously non-cognisable offences cognisable.

According to NCCIA data, most digital scams are carried out using fake SIMs, multiple online accounts, digital banking, juvenile accounts opened on Form B, and cryptocurrency platforms.

“Almost 90 per cent of financial scams are executed through digital or branchless banking accounts,” the NCCIA official concluded.

Mubarak Ahmad Qurashi, a member of the district bar association, said in a major crackdown initiated by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, over 163,000 illegal SIMs were blocked this year to fight digital crimes.

“PTA and NCCIA, besides initiating punitive actions for fraudsters, also run awareness campaigns to sensitise people to the preventive measures,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2025