A Pakistani citizen working in Saudi Arabia has alleged that he became a victim of a WhatsApp-based cyber fraud on February 12, 2025, losing Rs600,000 after fraudsters reportedly used a compromised WhatsApp account of a person known to him to request money.
According to the complainant, he believed the message to be genuine and transferred Rs600,000, or six lakh rupees, to a bank account reportedly titled in the name of Rehman Ali / Hafiz Syed Muhammad Ali Shah at HBL Airport Road Branch, Bahawalpur.
The complainant said he later realised that he had been deceived and approached the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) through its online complaint portal. He provided details of the incident as well as the financial transaction, including the date, amount and receiving bank account information.
According to the complainant, more than 18 months have passed since the incident, but no amount has been recovered so far. He has also alleged that he has not received any meaningful update regarding the fate of his complaint.
The complainant further claimed that the individuals allegedly involved in the matter had already been identified. He said this raised questions for him about why the case had not led to recovery of the allegedly stolen amount or visible legal action. He also alleged that he repeatedly tried to contact the relevant authorities for information about progress in the case, but the NCCIA was now not responding to his communications.
The matter highlights the concerns of cyber fraud victims who provide transaction details to the authorities and then wait for action. In financial cybercrime cases, timely investigation is considered important because transferred funds may be moved quickly from one account to another.
The complainant wants to know whether the Rs600,000 transaction was properly traced, whether the receiving bank account was investigated, whether the money was later transferred to any other account, and what action was taken in relation to the individuals allegedly identified during the inquiry.
For a Pakistani working abroad, the complainant said, Rs600,000 represented hard-earned money and financial sacrifice. His grievance, according to him, is not limited to the loss of money but also includes what he described as prolonged official silence after he reported the matter.
More than a year and a half after the incident, the complainant said he had neither received any recovery nor a satisfactory explanation about why the matter remained unresolved.
He has sought investigation of his complaint in accordance with law, tracing and recovery of the allegedly stolen funds where legally possible, and due process against those found responsible. The complainant has also sought a transparent response from the NCCIA and the concerned banking authorities regarding the status of the case.
