ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) has warned citizens about a fraudulent campaign circulating through SMS and WhatsApp messages that falsely promises a Rs13,000 cash prize.
The scam reportedly uses the Independence Day celebrations as a pretext to attract users, with fraudulent messages offering recipients a supposed cash reward.
According to the National CERT advisory, the messages contain suspicious links designed to trick users into visiting potentially malicious websites or providing sensitive information.
Clicking the link could put personal data at risk
Cybersecurity officials have warned that interacting with such links or entering information on fraudulent websites could expose users’ personal and financial data and potentially result in financial losses.
National CERT has advised citizens not to click on suspicious links, respond to the messages or forward them to others.
People who receive such messages should delete them and block and report the sender.
Verify suspicious links before opening
National CERT has also urged users to verify suspicious URLs before opening them through its Phish-Radar platform.
Phish-Radar is the National CERT’s phishing identification, verification and reporting platform. It allows users to check suspicious URLs and report potentially malicious websites, helping improve awareness and visibility of phishing threats in Pakistan.
The latest warning comes amid a wider increase in phishing and online fraud campaigns that use attractive rewards, fake offers and impersonation tactics to persuade users to disclose sensitive information.
Citizens are advised to treat unexpected prize messages with caution and verify the source independently before taking any action.
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