THIS is with reference to the report ‘Rs0.5m swindled out of lawyer through prank call’ (Sept 6) which narrated the ordeal of a lawyer in Chichawatni who transferred the money to different online cash accounts, only to find that the mobile numbers had been switched off right after receiving the money.

I want to share my personal experience of creating an online account with these online financial enterprises.

When I approached a mobile wallet of a famous cellular company, I was told by the representative that an account had already been operational against my identity card for the last two years. This was despite the fact that I had never had one. On filing an official complaint, the ‘account’ was closed. My two office colleagues also faced the same issue when they came to know that mobile wallet accounts were being run on their CNIC numbers without their consent and knowledge.

The process of creating these accounts happens to be too ‘facilitated’. One only needs a CNIC number and the date on which the card had been issued. Anyone can get such details from a copy of anyone’s CNIC. From photocopier outlets to various educational, corporate and banking entities, CNIC copies are freely available, and any crook can use the data to create an account on any mobile app and misuse it for any purpose.

Undoubtedly, these banking franchises do not bother to check whether or not the CNIC number being given to create the account actually belongs to the person who is creating this account. The relevant authorities should look into the matter.

Naseem Malik
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2024