The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has advised citizens to provide biometric data only at authorised customer service centres, franchises or approved sales outlets of mobile network operators when obtaining new SIM cards or accessing other telecommunication services.
In a public awareness message, the authority asked consumers to confirm the exact purpose for which their fingerprints are being collected before giving them. It also urged them to avoid disclosing sensitive biometric information to unauthorised individuals or outlets.
The advisory is intended to raise public awareness and help prevent the misuse of citizens’ biometric data.
The PTA had earlier warned the public about a fraud in which criminals pose as courier-company representatives to obtain one-time passwords (OTPs) from customers. In such cases, callers claim a parcel or shipment is being delivered and ask recipients to share an OTP or other information to complete the delivery.
The authority has urged citizens never to share an OTP with anyone, particularly unknown callers claiming to represent courier companies or other organisations.
