Islamabad. PTA has issued a public advisory warning citizens about a growing wave of fraudulent phone calls being made through fake or modified Universal Access Numbers, using caller ID spoofing techniques to impersonate official helplines. According to the authority, these deceptive calls are crafted to appear as if they originate from legitimate organisations, with the primary objective of misleading individuals into sharing sensitive personal and financial information. The advisory comes amid an increase in complaints from mobile users who have received suspicious calls claiming to represent trusted institutions.
PTA clarified that official UAN numbers and verified helplines are not used to place outgoing calls to citizens. Any incoming call that appears to originate from a UAN number, or from a number designed to closely resemble an official helpline, should therefore be considered fraudulent. The authority noted that scammers often exploit this confusion by displaying familiar looking caller IDs and creating a sense of urgency. Victims are commonly told that their SIM card, bank account, or digital wallet is about to be blocked or restricted unless immediate verification steps are completed. These tactics are intended to pressure individuals into acting quickly without proper verification, increasing the likelihood of information being compromised.
The advisory further highlighted that fraudsters frequently impersonate officials from well known public and private sector organisations, including PTA, Federal Investigation Agency, NCCI, commercial banks, and popular digital wallet services such as JazzCash and Easypaisa. In many cases, callers falsely claim to be conducting security checks or compliance verification. During these interactions, victims are asked to share highly sensitive information, including one time passwords, CNIC details, PIN codes, account passwords, biometric data, or to grant access to mobile applications. PTA also warned that some individuals receive follow up WhatsApp messages or SMS messages containing malicious links that redirect users to phishing pages or malware infected websites designed to harvest data or compromise devices.
PTA emphasized that no legitimate organisation ever requests confidential information such as OTPs, banking credentials, CNIC details, mother’s name, passwords, or biometric data through phone calls, text messages, or instant messaging platforms. The authority urged citizens to remain cautious and to immediately disengage from any communication that requests such details. Users were advised to verify information only through official websites and verified contact channels, avoid clicking on unknown or suspicious links, and report dubious numbers through appropriate reporting mechanisms. PTA also encouraged mobile users to activate spam call blocking and filtering features available on most smartphones to reduce exposure to fraudulent activity. The authority stressed that public awareness and responsible digital behavior remain critical in limiting the impact of phone based scams and protecting personal information in an increasingly connected environment.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
