The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore has launched probe into the latest ATM fraud scam after receiving information from a private bank about its affected customers. Sources told Business Recorder that the cybercrime circle of the FIA had written letters to various banks after the incident, seeking records of its customers who had been victimised by cyber hackers, who allegedly withdrew money from their ATM accounts by using the soil of foreign countries.
"We have received records from only one private bank while the other banks are yet to respond," an FIA official said, adding the agency has also launched investigation into the matter after getting substantial information. In October, he said, the cybercrime circle of the FIA arrested two cyber criminals under section 419, 420, 468, 471 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
He added that the police had also recovered numerous ATM cards from the possession of the accused, identified as Arif Butt and Imran Sarwar. It may be added that the agency had arrested a Chinese national for defrauding bank users in June 2016. In March 2016, the FIA's cybercrime Wing also arrested two more Chinese nationals under the same charges.
On Monday, an official of the HBL confirmed to the media that hundreds of its bank accounts were hacked through ATM (automated teller machine) cards. He also confirmed that over Rs 10 million had been stolen from 559 of its accounts but he assured its customers that there was no need to panic as the amount would be reimbursed to the affected clients.
"The amount stolen was Rs 10.2 million while the number of affectees is 559. We have over 10 million customers which means that the size of the amount missing is not very significant for the HBL while the number of customers affected is also low," the HBL official was quoted as having said. "It is a fraud and we must check it and find the culprits. It happens in all countries." He said they were not aware of about the hackers, but added that the transactions had been traced to Indonesia, China and some other countries.