President Dr. Arif Alvi has ordered Habib Bank Limited (HBL) to pay 249,525 Pkr/- to Ali Mohammad, a cook from Rahim Yar Khan whose money has been fraudulently withdrawn online from his account by a bunch of scammers.
Besides, President Arif Alvi has announced his orders over a petition that HBL filed against the sentence of the federal ombudsman. Initially, though the bank opposed taking action on the President’s order, the President rejected their plea and ordered HBL to pay the amount Ali Muhammad had in his bank account to compensate for his loss.
While Ali Muhammad was ripped-off by scammers who asked him for his bank account information by posing as HBL officials over the phone. The scammers got money transferred out of Ali’s bank account online.
Moreover, the President of Pakistan said banks must regularly warn their customers and clients about banking scams. Also, about banking frauds involving online fund transfers and polishing their communication with their clients.
President Dr. Arif Alvi further added that fraudsters often trap innocent people and get hold of their hard-earned money through fake calls, sometimes even directly from the banking premises.
On the other hand, the President said that all banks in Pakistan are bound to follow the directives of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). In that case, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) was supposed to ask for their customer Ali Muhammad’s consent before approving the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). But the bank failed to come up with any evidence.
EFT is defined as transferring money online from one bank account to another. Either under a single financial institution or across multiple financial institutions, without the direct interference of bank staff. Hence, it needs special vigilance and extra focus while transferring anyone’s amount, as it is a game of few clicks and can cause any mistake.
Hence, no evidence submitted by HBL is proof that the bank complies with the provisions of law, rules, and regulations.
Nowadays, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is also cautioning Pakistanis about the increase in fraudulent messages and calls from scammers. PTA has suggested Pakistanis ignore such messages and refrain from responding to messages and calls like this. Likewise, PTA has asked people to report such people to them so they can take strict action against them and put them behind bars or fine them.
Notably, the regulator of PTA said that most Pakistani people sent them complaints about scammers posing as “Bol Game Show” or “Jeeto Pakistan” through SMS and WhatsApp messages. The messages contain content like you have won a car or a motorbike or a big cash prize. To receive your prize, you the customer, need to give your bank account details so they can execute the process further.
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