ISLAMABAD: WhatsApp accounts of several school and college principals have been hacked by scammers who are reportedly using these accounts to solicit money from students and their parents.

In light of this activity, the education ministry and the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) have directed principals to take the students and their parents into confidence to avoid the possibility of any fraudulent activity.

FDE Director Urban Institutions M. Qamaruddin shared information about these incidents with educational institutions.

His message shared by Islamabad Model Colleges for Boys (IMCB), I-10/1, with parents warned them to beware of any attempt by scammers to deprive them of money.

FDE asks parents to beware, report any phishing attempts to authorities

“It has come to our attention that hackers have recently compromised the WhatsApp accounts of several school and college principals. These hackers are impersonating principals and officials from the Ministry of Education, contacting other principals, and requesting monetary deposits under false pretences,” the message read, calling it a serious and concerning issue.

“Please note that the Ministry of Education does not solicit payments in this manner, and any such requests should be treated as fraudulent,” the message shared by the college stated.

“There is a real and immediate risk that these hackers may extend their fraudulent activities by contacting parents, posing as principals of schools or colleges, and requesting funds for fabricated reasons,” it said, urging precautionary measures.

The message asked the principals to share this information with the parents.

“Advise them to exercise extreme caution if they receive any unexpected communication claiming to be from the school or college, particularly through WhatsApp or similar platforms. Tell parents that we don’t ask for any sort of money to be deposited in any account,” it stated.

After Covid-19, social media platforms, particularly WhatsApp, became a primary tool of communication between teachers, students, as well as parents.

Due to remote classes, WhatsApp groups were created to communicate with the students and their parents.

Although it addressed a number of issues and made the job of teachers easier, it also exposed them to cyber threats, like the one mentioned above.

In a number of incidents, the hackers tried to mint money from heads of the institutions, students and their parents.

The message from the FDE official asked parents to report any suspicious messages or calls immediately to the online complaint cell of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and the Federal Investigation Agency.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2024