Hackers broke into the official WhatsApp account of SP Traffic Korangi and sent messages to his contacts demanding money, police said, though no financial loss was reported as none of the recipients transferred funds.
The breach was reported by SP Traffic Korangi Israr Changezi, who said the hackers accessed his account and immediately began messaging his acquaintances with various pretexts, demanding sums ranging from Rs 200,000 to Rs 500,000.
According to Changezi, the people who received these messages recognised the attempt as fraudulent and did not send any money, preventing financial damage.
As soon as he learned his account had been compromised, Changezi contacted the Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency for assistance.
The FIA acted swiftly and effectively, thwarting the hackers attempts and restoring the officers WhatsApp account.
Police and the FIA have advised citizens to keep two step verification enabled on their social media accounts at all times and to verify any sudden request for money from a known contact through a direct phone call before taking any action.