Islamabad – Jazz subscribers across Pakistan are reporting massive financial losses after receiving fraudulent SMS messages from what appeared to be Jazz’s official service number. The messages, which users have been receiving from this number for years, stated:
“Jazz：You have 9986 points that are about to expire. You can redeem a gift through the website, otherwise it will be invalid：https://jazzshopa.top/pk”
Due to the sender being Jazz’s recognized official number, thousands of users placed trust in the message and clicked the link.
The fake website displayed “gift” options redeemable against accumulated Jazz loyalty points. To claim any gift, users were asked to pay only “courier charges” – Rs. 300 for 6-7 day delivery and Rs. 600 for 1-2 day delivery – with payment required exclusively by credit/debit card.
After entering card details, users immediately received an OTP from their bank stating:
“(.…) is your OTP for online transaction of CLP 499,999 at COMMERCIAL VYL on (bank name) Card 9813. Valid for 10 minutes. Do not share OTP with anyone.”
Multiple users, upon suspicion and after verification, did not share the OTP. However, many others did and subsequently suffered huge financial losses.
Today, a Jazz subscriber who visited the Jazz Customer Care Center in Islamabad to report the incident was informed by a Jazz representative that “this is a scam and Jazz’s system was hacked and such messages and links were sent to many users.” The representative further advised customers not to click such links.
When asked why Jazz had not issued a public advertisement, press notice, or nationwide alert to warn customers that its system was compromised and that scam messages were being sent from Jazz’s own official number, the representative provided no satisfactory response.
This lack of immediate public disclosure has exposed millions of Jazz users to fraud, reputational damage, and direct financial loss. Using an official operator number to conduct fraud is a severe breach of customer trust and data security.
We strongly urge:
Jazz to immediately issue a nationwide public notice through SMS, media, and all official channels, clearly warning users about this breach and the fraudulent link.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority – PTA and FIA Cyber Crime Wing to launch an immediate investigation into how Jazz’s official messaging system was compromised and used for financial fraud.
All Banks to flag and block transactions to “COMMERCIAL VYL” and related merchant IDs.
Affected users are advised to immediately block their cards, change banking passwords, and report the incident to their bank and FIA Cyber Crime.
Jazz must take full responsibility, compensate affected customers, and explain what measures are being taken to prevent future misuse of its official communication channels.
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