On Friday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) warned the public about phishing and fraudulent links on WhatsApp and social media, and text messages that falsely claimed to be affiliated with the PTA’s Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS).
According to the PTA, the message circulating appears to be an official notice, indicating that the user’s SIM was discovered to be involved in “suspicious activities” and that the user should verify the number of SIMs at the provided URL.
Another message notifies the user that their phone registration will be suspended until they visit the linked URL.
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According to the telecom industry regulator, these misleading practices are intended to fool people into clicking on harmful websites, and exposing their personal information.
“The public is urged to refrain from clicking on links from unknown numbers as well as unknown senders,” the PTA said in a statement.
They also advised individuals to report such phone numbers and URLs to the PTA’s complaint management system via its toll-free hotline.
Furthermore, they urged the public to remain alert and prioritize the usage of its official platforms to secure their personal information.
People may file complaints about such actions on the PTA’s website, and to verify the status of their equipment, users could visit the website or send an SMS to 8484 from their mobile devices, according to the telecom regulator.
