Pakistan reports surge in social media honey traps, extortion cases

ISLAMABAD – The National Cyber Emergency Response Team has issued an advisory warning the public about a rising trend of cybercrimes in Pakistan via social media.

According to the advisory, Pakistan is reporting a surge in social media honey traps, extortion, and fraudulent freelance job offers.

There has been a surge in fake job offers and freelance opportunities, particularly via WhatsApp and Telegram, targeting unsuspecting citizens across Pakistan, including Punjab.

Fraudsters are reportedly adding individuals to groups without their consent and luring them under the guise of freelancing jobs.

Once in the group, users are subjected to inappropriate or explicit content, and those who react or fail to react are blackmailed with threats of being reported.

The cyber team notes that these scams have led to extortion demands ranging from Rs1 million to Rs1.5 million from victims in Pakistan.

Scammers are said to be exploiting users’ WhatsApp display pictures, usernames, and online activity to select and target individuals. Fake accounts are used to initiate contact and manipulate users through false job offers, the advisory said.

The advisory strongly urges the public to remain cautious of unsolicited job offers, adjust group privacy settings on messaging apps, and avoid forwarding or downloading unethical content.

It also advises against responding to requests claiming to remove objectionable material.