Dozens of foreigners arrested for alleged online scams in Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan's anti-cybercrime authorities Wednesday said they have busted an international network allegedly involved in online scams, arresting around 150 suspected members, including 71 foreigners.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) raided a building in northeastern Faisalabad, the country's third-largest city and textile hub, "on a tip-off" to arrest the suspects, which included 18 women, the agency said.

The detainees included 71 men and women from the Philippines, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe.

Later, a court in Faisalabad remanded all the accused in NCCIA's custody for five days.

According to the NCCIA, the suspects were engaged in running a Ponzi scheme to deceive the public and amass huge sums of money through fake investment opportunities and digital scams.

A total of seven cases related to financial fraud and deception have been lodged against the accused, who targeted unsuspecting individuals—mostly overseas Pakistanis—by luring them into fake online investment schemes through social media messages.