Pakistani Citizens Warned Against Fake Police Commissioner Scam

Cybercriminals are targeting Pakistani citizens with a phishing scam disguised as official emails from the Office of Commissioner Police Department. These fraudulent emails falsely accuse recipients of cybercrime and attempt to extract sensitive personal and financial information.

According to the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), this phishing attempt is designed to make people feel afraid and trick them into giving over sensitive information like bank account numbers and social security numbers. There are a number of warning signs raised in the advice that point to this attack being a social engineering scam.

The fake emails scare people into responding within 24 hours by threatening legal action, arrest, media attention, and being blacklisted. There is no such thing as a “Commissioner Police Department” in Pakistan, among other significant discrepancies that the National CERT found in the emails.

Furthermore, the emails make reference to Indian statutes—the POCSO Act of 2012 and the IT Act’s Sections 67A and 67B—that are irrelevant to Pakistan. The scam also uses a fake domain (officereportcrime.org) instead of an official.gov.pk address and falsely says it is connected with the National Highway & Motorway Police, which does not investigate cybercrime cases.

Potential Risks for Individuals and Businesses

Among the serious risks highlighted in the warning are data breaches, credential theft, financial fraud, and identity theft. Cybercriminals may gain critical information from victims who reply, even if they do not intend to. In order to increase the possibility of fraudulent success, attackers use tactics such as fear and a sense of urgency to deceive victims. The scam also puts businesses at risk because if an employee’s account is hacked, the whole company network could be attacked.

Preventive Measures and Cybersecurity Recommendations

To mitigate this threat, National CERT has issued the following guidelines:

For Individuals

• Do not respond to unknown or suspicious emails.
• Verify the sender’s legitimacy before clicking on any links.
• Enable Two-Factor Authentication (MFA) for extra security.
• Report phishing attempts to the relevant authorities.

For Organizations

• Implement security awareness training for employees.
• Enforce strict email security protocols to detect phishing attempts.
• Monitor network traffic for unusual activity.
• Develop and maintain an incident response plan to handle cyber threats effectively.

As part of its long-term recommendations, the advice suggests conducting cybersecurity audits on a regular basis, running public awareness campaigns, and revising anti-phishing policies as needed. One way to lessen the impact of potential dangers in the future is to implement zero-trust security measures and tighten existing legal frameworks. National CERT has recommended individuals and organizations be aware, report unusual behavior, and take proactive actions to protect themselves from phishing attempts.