The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Pakistan’s federal cybercrime body, has arrested two men in Lahore for allegedly running an illegal call centre that targeted US citizens for banking and card fraud.
NCCIA Lahore Zone said the suspects were call centre owner Irshad Ahmed Butt and his employee, Aurangzeb. The agency took them into custody on Friday after detecting suspicious activity at a centre on Main Boulevard in Gulberg and securing a court-issued search warrant before the raid.
How the alleged scam worked
Lahore Zone Additional Director Atif Ameer said preliminary inquiries indicated the men contacted people in the United States while pretending to work for insurance companies. Under the cover of an insurance campaign, they allegedly asked for credit and debit card details and then used that information for unauthorised financial transactions.
An NCCIA spokesperson said the same pattern emerged in early findings: spoofed insurance outreach, collection of card data, and alleged misuse for illegal transfers. The agency has not named any insurer, disclosed how many people were contacted, or given a figure for losses.
What investigators recovered
During the operation, officers recovered two laptops and three mobile phones. Examination of the devices, according to the agency, turned up online calling software and material linked to financial fraud. The hardware has been taken into custody as the case continues.
Ameer said the tip-off trail began with open-source intelligence—publicly available online information used to spot suspicious activity—rather than a walk-in complaint alone. That led investigators to the Gulberg address and the warrant application.
What happens next
NCCIA said further investigation is under way. Officials have not confirmed charges in detail beyond the alleged call-centre fraud targeting US residents, and they have not said whether more arrests are expected in this specific case.
Ameer added that operations against illegal call centres and networks accused of targeting people abroad for financial fraud will continue. For readers, that points to an ongoing enforcement push rather than a one-day sweep.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Lahore mein NCCIA ne do logon ko giraftar kiya hai jo illegal call centre chala kar America ke logon se banking details mangte the. Yeh log insurance campaign ka bahana bana kar card numbers lete aur phir un se paisa nikalne ki koshish karte. Gulberg ke Main Boulevard par yeh case hua, aur agency ne laptops aur phones bhi qabze mein liye. Ab inquiry jari hai; kitne log mutasir hue ya kitna nuqsan hua, abhi bataya nahi gaya.
