PTA, FIA bust IMEI tampering and SIM fraud rings

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Reporting Center, raided mobile shop and seized equipment used for illegal IMEI tampering of mobile phones.

Authorities confiscated a Dell Core i5 laptop, a USB device containing CM2 software for IMEI manipulation and five mobile handsets from the shop in Pano Aqil. The owner was arrested, and an FIR has been registered.

IMEI cloning enables untraceable communications, posing national security risks by facilitating cybercrime, financial fraud and other illegal activities, the PTA said.

In a separate operation, the PTA’s Lahore office and FIA Cyber Crime Circle raided a Ufone franchise in Toba Tek Singh for illegally issuing SIMs. Seven biometric verification system (BVS) devices and 209 suspected SIMs were seized. The franchise manager was arrested, and an FIR was filed.

The raids are part of the PTA’s ongoing efforts to combat IMEI tampering and bypassing biometric verification for SIM activation.