Tech Desk 
Jul 23, 2025
The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) has issued an advisory notifying the public about a rising trend of cybercrimes in Pakistan via social media.
The advisory mentioned that 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,” stated National CERT.
Fraudsters are reportedly including individuals in groups without their consent and luring them under the guise of freelancing jobs.
According to the advisory, 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 highlighted that these scams have led to extortion demands ranging from Rs1 million to Rs1.5 million from victims across 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 suggests that the public remain “cautious of unsolicited job offers, adjust group privacy settings on messaging apps, and avoid forwarding or downloading unethical content.”
It is worth noting that victims or witnesses of such scams are encouraged to report incidents through the National CERT portal, the PTA complaint system, or the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
