I RECENTLY noticed automated texts sent from my mobile phone number to scores of people, trying to lure them into clicking a link. I only learnt this when people replied to those messages. By the time I realised that my WhatsApp account had been compromised, it was taken down by the messaging application.

The real frustration came later when, after filing a review and getting my account restored, I rushed to the messaging service’s support mechanism to report the ‘hacking’ incident. WhatsApp had no human on support.

All it had was an artificial intelligence (AI) bot sending back random information without realising the sensitivity of the situation. It assured me that my account would not be down again as it had no restrictions at that particular time.

However, my account was banned right afterward as, apparently, I had ‘exhausted’ my review attempts. The fact is that I was simply trying to help the messaging app with some feedback. Since WhatsApp offers no alternative route to appeal against the decision, I had to send an email, but that, too, was replied by some AI bot.

Such issues are fast becoming the new normal in Pakistan. WhatsApp accounts get hacked by people running phishing schemes, who, in turn, use these accounts to lure people into sending money, clicking random links which download malware into devices, and so on.

In essence, digital revolution alongside AI cannot take place alone. It has to be supervised and monitored by humans with systems in place that have effective and robust cybersecurity frameworks.

Shuja Ahmed Awan
Shahdadkot

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026