Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has processed 13,185 URLs related to electronic fraud and online scams for blocking, out of which 13,021 have been successfully blocked. According to an official document, the action was taken in coordination with relevant authorities, including the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), SECP, and SBP.
The breakdown reveals that 1,357 Facebook links were flagged, with 1,246 blocked, 47 under review, and 64 rejected by the platform, a blocking rate of 91.82%. On Instagram, 41 URLs were reported, with 39 blocked and one each under review and rejected (95.12% blocking rate). YouTube had 122 links processed, 99 blocked, eight under review, and 15 rejected, resulting in 81.15% blocking efficiency. Twitter had only six cases, with five blocked and one under review (83.33% blocking rate). The largest category, “Others/Misc”, covered 11,659 URLs, of which 11,632 were blocked, 17 were under review, and 10 were rejected, achieving a 99.77% blocking rate.
In the briefing, PTA clarified that it does not regulate call centers or software houses in Pakistan. Additionally, matters related to cybercrime enforcement, including cyber fraud and online scams, fall outside PTA’s legal mandate. The NCCIA handles these issues under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. PTA’s primary role under Section 37 of PECA is to remove or block unlawful online content. For the investigation and enforcement of electronic fraud, the responsibility lies with FIA and NCCIA under Section 29 of the same act. PTA acts upon the recommendations of these authorities to initiate blocking or takedown of fraudulent content.
To prevent future scams, PTA emphasized the importance of public awareness. The authority is actively conducting seminars, producing TV shows, and using SMS and digital media to educate the public on online fraud risks.