The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Friday claimed to have unearthed an international racket involved in stealing data from ATM and credit cards of Pakistani citizens and withdrawing cash from their bank accounts. Addressing a press conference, FIA Islamabad Director Shakeel Ahmed Durrani said that the agency has arrested an accused Saqib associated with an international gang who during investigation revealed that data of bank accounts of Pakistani citizens is being provided to Indian hackers and they (Indian hackers) send skimmers and other equipment to Pakistan for withdrawing cash from the ATM machines in Pakistan.
"The gang is involved in withdrawing millions of rupees from ATM machines in Pakistan," he said.
Durrani said that the accused is also involved in making vulgar videos of women for blackmailing them. The agency has obtained 11-day physical remand of the accused from the relevant court and further investigation is under way, he said. Following the directions of interior minister to raise awareness among people regarding ATM cards scams and PIN capturing, he said that the FIA Cyber Crime Wing while chasing different gangs arrested accused Saqib, who is involved in fraud through ATM cards.
The agency has also recovered laptop, blank PVC card, a mobile phone, stolen credit cards and other things from the possession of the accused, he said. He said that the accused has contacts with Indian and other international hackers including Canadian, Nigerian, US and Italian hackers.
The FIA director said that the accused is involved in stealing data from Pakistani bank accounts through skimmers and sending it to Indian hackers. He claimed that the credit cards owned by citizens Rasheeda Begum and Noor Kamal were recovered from the possession of Saqib. He suggested the citizens to make payments from their credit and debit cards in front of their eyes in shopping malls and hotels, as sometimes staff of hotels and shopping malls is also found involved in skimming acts.