Tag: Scam

  • Cashier arrested after allegedly stealing more than three crore in banking fraud

    Cashier arrested after allegedly stealing more than three crore in banking fraud

    Ghulam Muhammad, alleged to be involved in stealing more than three crores in banking fraud, has been arrested from Karachi.

    The Commercial Banking Circle of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) conducted a raid to arrest Ghulam Muhammad.

    According to Director FIA Karachi Zone Zaeem Iqbal, the suspect was posted as a cashier in the branch of a private bank located in Sadar area of Karachi.
    He has been accused of embezzling a total of three crore, 29 lakh and 78 thousand rupees by issuing, without permission, fake cash transits to various branches under the guise of excess cash.

    According to the initial investigation, no request for cash was received from the above branches, while the suspect did not hand over the said amount to the van used for cash transit after making cash entries last year in May, June and July.

    As per FIA, the suspect had fled after cheating. After his arrest, raids are being conducted to apprehend others from the group.

  • Two prominent Bollywood actors summoned by Indian police regarding controversial betting app case

    Two prominent Bollywood actors summoned by Indian police regarding controversial betting app case

    In India, prominent celebrities were summoned by the Enforcement Directorate regarding an online betting app Mahadev Book. Ranbir Kapoor was summoned yesterday and now Shraddha Kapoor and comedian Kapil Sharma have been called up. These celebrities were summoned after an exclusive report by India Today in September revealed many prominent Bollywood public figures were attendants at the wedding ceremony of the Mahadev app promoter Sourabh Chandrakar.

    “In February 2023, Sourabh Chandrakar got married at RAK, UAE, and for this marriage ceremony, the promoters of Mahadev APP spent around ₹ 200 Crore in Cash,” ED responded in a statement.

    According to Times of India, Pakistani singers Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Atif Aslam was among the attendees at the wedding, who may also be summoned by the ED in the coming days.

    The betting app is currently under investigation by police officials from several states after the Enforcement Department alleged the app was being used by the company to enrol new users, create ID’s and launder money through a layered web of benami bank accounts.

    Actors like Hina Khan and Huma Qureshi were summoned for allegedly promoting the app, while Kapil Sharma was called up for attending the success party held by the company in Dubai in September. Ranbir Kapoor has requested the agency to give him more time before appearing in person.

  • Here’s the list of illegal loan apps banned in Pakistan

    Here’s the list of illegal loan apps banned in Pakistan

    The Ministry of IT and Telecom of the government responded to numerous reports and took decisive action against illegal loan apps, resulting in the banning of over 40 such applications. The severity of the issue prompted the ministry to intervene and curb the proliferation of these apps.

    In a statement released on Monday, Federal Minister Aminul Haque directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), led by Chairman Major General Hafeez-ur Rehman, to promptly address the situation. As a result, 43 applications were immediately blocked in accordance with the ministry’s instructions.

    Additionally, the PTA is collaborating with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP) to seek consultation and support in tackling this concerning matter.

    Here’s the list of loan apps recently banned:

    • Superb Loans
    • Fair Loans
    • Plati Loans
    • UrCash
    • MyCash
    • Debit Campsite
    • Loan Credit Cash
    • Easy Mobile Loans
    • Fori Qarz Online Personal Loan
    • Easy Loans Credit Fast Pay
    • Little Cash- Mobile Loans
    • FinMore- Online Credit Loans
    • ZetaLoan- Easy Credit Wallet
    • Qarza Pocket -Personal Funds
    • Asaan Qarza- credit loans
    • Fast Loan
    • Harsha Tube – Quick Money
    • Loanclub
    • Tazza Centre – Get Money Soon
    • Aasan Lab – Easy Apply Money
    • CashCredit-Online Loan money bee
    • Galaxy Loan
    • TiCash
    • CashPro-Immediate Approval
    • Rose Cash – Loan Cash
    • HamdardLoan
    • Bee Cash
    • Yocash
    • Sallam Loan – Online Loan App
    • Whale
    • Zenn Park -Easy Instant Help
    • Get Welfare
    • LendHome
    • QuickCash
    • Mrloan
    • 567 Speed Loan
    • Rico Box – Easy Apply Online
    • Fori Instant Loans
    • 99 Fast Cash Loan
    • Apple Qist Qarz
    • BG Loan
    • Swift Loans
  • Silence unknown callers: WhatsApp introduces solution to spam and scam calls

    Silence unknown callers: WhatsApp introduces solution to spam and scam calls

    WhatsApp, the messaging app owned by Meta, has introduced two new updates for its Android and iOS users. These updates offer enhanced privacy and control over incoming calls, as well as improved options for protecting user information.

    One of the updates is the “Silence Unknown Callers” feature, which automatically screens out unwanted calls from unknown or suspicious numbers. It helps users avoid spam, scams, and calls from people they don’t know. Instead of ringing on the phone, these calls will be listed in the call log, allowing users to check them later in case they are from important contacts. To enable this feature, users can go to their WhatsApp account privacy settings and select the “Silence Unknown Callers” option in the calls section.

    The second update is the “Privacy Checkup” feature, which assists users in navigating and configuring important privacy settings. By taking users through a step-by-step process, it helps them understand and choose the appropriate level of protection for their messages, calls, and personal information. By accessing the Privacy settings and selecting “Start checkup,” users can explore various privacy options and strengthen the security of their WhatsApp account.

    WhatsApp has taken innovative measures to spread awareness about these updates on a global scale. Emphasising the significance of secure communication, the app encourages users to connect with friends and family through private messaging, where they can freely express themselves. These updates aim to provide a safer and more private experience for WhatsApp users.

  • Winner of SONY photography contest turns down award, confesses image was created by AI

    Winner of SONY photography contest turns down award, confesses image was created by AI

    Boris Eldagsen, the German photographer who won the prestigious SONY World Photography Contest, has turned down the award after confessing that his image was an Artificial Intelligence (AI) creation.

    Eldagsen, a former student of photography and visual arts at the Art Academy of Mainz, and Conceptual Art and Intermedia at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, had submitted his photograph titled ‘Pseudomnesia: The Electrician’ for the creative open category. The photo was a haunting black-and-white image of two women from different generations.

    In a statement posted on his website, Eldagsen said he ‘applied as a cheeky monkey’ to check if photography competitions are prepared to identify AI images, but they are not.

    “We, the photo world, need an open discussion,” Eldagsen wrote. “A discussion about what we want to consider photography and what not. Is the umbrella of photography large enough to invite AI images to enter – or would this be a mistake? With my refusal of the award I hope to speed up this debate.”

    Eldagsen thanked the judges for picking his photograph for the award, pointing out that this was a historic moment because for the first time an AI image had won a prestigious photography competition, and hoped that this would encourage them to recognize the difference between real and AI generated photographs.

    “How many of you knew or suspected that it was AI generated? Something about this doesn’t feel right, does it? AI images and photography should not compete with each other in an award like this. They are different entities. AI is not photography. Therefore I will not accept the award.”

    A spokesperson from the World Photography Organisation has confirmed in a statement that Eldagsen had revealed to them that his image was created using AI, before he had been announced as a winner.

    “In our correspondence, he explained how following ‘two decades of photography, my artistic focus has shifted more to exploring creative possibilities of AI generators’ and further emphasising the image heavily relies on his ‘wealth of photographic knowledge’. As per the rules of the competition, the photographers provide the warranties of their entry. The creative category of the open competition welcomes various experimental approaches to image making from cyanotypes and rayographs to cutting-edge digital practices. As such, following our correspondence with Boris and the warranties he provided, we felt that his entry fulfilled the criteria for this category, and we were supportive of his participation.”

  • Mother almost falls for $1 million kidnapping hoax after daughter’s voice is cloned by AI

    A mother from Arizona almost fell for a kidnapping hoax after the culprits used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to clone her daughter’s voice.

    According to People magazine, Jennifer DeStefano shared that her daughter, Briana, was on a ski vacation with her friends when the mother received a phone call from an anonymous number, where she heard her daughter crying and pleading for help.

    “I heard my daughter’s voice crying and sobbing, saying, ‘Mom.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, what happened?’ She’s like, ‘Mom, these bad men have me. Help me, help me.’ “

    A man then talked to her and demanded that she pay $1 million to free her daughter.

    “This man gets on the phone and he’s like, ‘Listen here. I’ve got your daughter. This is how it’s going to go down. You call the police, you call anybody, I’m going to pop her so full of drugs. I’m going to have my way with her and I’m going to drop her off in Mexico,’” she said. “And at that moment, I just started shaking. In the background, she’s going, ‘Help me, Mom. Please help me. Help me,’ and bawling.”

    DeStefano, who was at a dance studio when she received the call, negotiated with the man to take the ransom down to $500,000, while her acquaintance contacted the police and her husband contacted Briana, who revealed that she was safe and in her room.

    “She was upstairs in her room. Then I get angry, obviously, with these guys. This is not something you play around with.”

    DeStefano shared that she was truly shocked how similar her daughter’s voice sounded to the voice she had heard on the phone, which had been cloned by AI.

    “It was completely her voice. It was her inflection. It was the way she would have cried. I never doubted for one second it was her. That’s the freaky part that really got me to my core.”

    Briana also revealed how terrifying this situation could have gotten, had her mother not confirmed her whereabouts:

     “I started to wonder, like, if these people were asking to track my mom and pick her up, they could have obviously been putting some information together to try and track me or some of my siblings to actually make this a reality. So it definitely scared me.”

  • President takes notice of increasing online bank frauds in Pakistan

    President takes notice of increasing online bank frauds in Pakistan

    President Dr Arif Alvi has taken serious notice of the rising trend of online banking frauds where fraudsters obtained contact details of banks’ clients by impersonating bank officials to get account and banking information and then used these details to swindle money out of clients’ accounts.

    In a press release released on Saturday, the President directed the Banking Mohtasib of Pakistan (BMP) to take serious notice of this worrisome trend and implement meaningful, effective measures, such as appropriate checks and balances and foolproof security systems that could distinguish between genuine and fraudulent transactions, to curb this threat urgently.

    A renowned novelist and playwright, Mirza Athar Baig, had his bank account robbed of Rs1.1 million by an online fraudster, according to news reports. The president’s secretariat has asked Baig to lodge a complaint and formally raise the issue with BMP to get relief from the bank.

    Under the president’s direction, the president’s secretariat has advised Mirza Athar Baig to file a complaint and formally raise the issue with the BMP in case the bank is unable to fix his problem and reimburse him within the allotted time limit.

    Even though he had resolved hundreds of such cases through the BMP and given comfort to those who had been affected by internet frauds, the president expressed disappointment that fraudulent activities and practises were growing in the banking sector.

    Additionally, he underlined the importance of bringing about structured and methodical improvements in online banking systems by swiftly detecting fraudsters and enforcing severe, exemplary sanctions against them.

  • Indian call centre scammers looted $10 billion from Americans in 2021

    Indian call centre scammers looted $10 billion from Americans in 2021

    According to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data, US citizens lost more than $10 billion in 2022 as a result of phishing calls made by illegal Indian call centres.

    The Times Of India stated citing FBI data that the majority of the victims of these fraud calls from Indian phishing gangs were senior US nationals over the age of 60 who lost more than $3 billion.

    The FBI has now sent a permanent representative to the US embassy in New Delhi following many incidences that were reported in 2022. To bust these gangs that have threatened to make India the hub of such illegal call centres, the representative will work closely with the CBI, Interpol, and the Delhi Police.

    So far in 2022, Americans have lost a total of $10.2 billion to such hoax calls, a 47 per cent increase over the $6.9 billion lost in 2021.

    Suhel Daud, the FBI’s South Asia director, told the publication that “romance-related” scams totaled INR 8,000 crore (PKR 217.7 billion) in 2021 and INR 8,000 crore (PKR 217.7 billion) in the final 11 months of 2022. Losses from “tech support” fraud have topped $3 billion in the last two years, with $347 million in 2021 and $781 million in 2022 so far.

    “It may not be a national security concern yet, but the reputation (of a country) is involved, and we don’t want India to suffer on that count,” Daud told the publication.

    He also stated that the FBI received 850,000 complaints regarding cyber crimes in 2021 and over 780,000 lakh complaints so far in 2022. Investment-related cybercrime ($3 billion), corporate email compromise ($2.4 billion), personal data breach ($1.2 billion), romance ($1 billion), and tech support ($781 million) were among the concerns.

  • Top 10 funniest ads listed on OLX Pakistan

    Top 10 funniest ads listed on OLX Pakistan

    OLX is one of the most popular platforms in Pakistan for online buying and selling everything from cheap pencil boxes to luxurious and pricey bungalows.

    Everyone now finds it really simple to place an ad for anything they need to sell right away thanks to the website. Aside from those that give their listings a slick or clear title, some sellers end up adding humorous wording.

    Here are some of the funniest ads recently posted on the online marketplace:

    OLX is the top shopping app in the Apple App Store with 4.4-star rating and thousands of daily sellers, regardless of how many bizarre and peculiar ads are posted on it every day.

    It is also among the earliest platforms in Pakistan for buying and selling, and it keeps improving after each update.