Online fraud in Pakistan is investigated principally under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, with the Federal Investigation Agency Cyber Crime Wing as the investigating body. The single biggest factor in whether a complaint goes anywhere is the quality of what you preserve before reporting.
Preserve the evidence first
Evidence in these matters is fragile. Accounts are deleted, chats vanish and numbers go dead. Before anything else:
- Take full screenshots showing the account name, handle and visible address, not only the message text
- Record transaction references, dates, amounts and the receiving account or wallet
- Keep the original messages on the device rather than only forwarding them
- Note phone numbers, email addresses and any names used
- Do not delete the conversation, however distressing it is to keep
Making the complaint
Complaints are lodged with the FIA Cyber Crime Wing. One that arrives with a clear chronology, the financial trail and preserved evidence is far easier to act on than one that arrives as a narrative.
Set the sequence out plainly: what was offered, what you were told, what you sent, when, and through which channel.
The banking side runs in parallel
Where money has moved, report to your bank immediately as well. Timing affects whether funds can be traced or held. Do not wait for the criminal complaint to progress first, because the two processes are independent of each other.
What the law covers
PECA addresses a range of conduct including unauthorised access to information systems, electronic fraud and identity-related offences. Which provisions apply depends on precisely what was done, which is why factual detail matters more than the label a victim puts on it.
Realistic expectations
Recovering money is harder than establishing that an offence occurred, particularly where funds moved quickly or crossed borders. Acting fast improves the position. Nobody can promise an outcome.
What to do next
Gather the evidence before it disappears, then take advice on whether the matter is best pursued as a criminal complaint, a civil recovery, or both together.