ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority ( PTA ) said on Monday that it is dealing with the Federal Investigation Agency ( FIA ) to act against the identification thievery of passengers who signup their cellular phones at airports. Stolen data, such as passport numbers and computerized national identity cards ( CNIC ) numbers that are required to signup cellphones, are being utilized in the open market to unblock non-customs pay mobile phones.
The PTA said to a conference of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology previous week that a few 750 cases of identity thievery have been delivered to the FIA, which has taken action and apprehended suspects. The PTA has claimed that it is attempting to develop the mobile phone sign up mechanism, and the authority conceded that even after the execution of its new mobile device enrollment system, non-customs paid mobile phones are being unblocked on the black market utilizing stolen identities.
The PTA’s Device Identification Registration and Blocking System ( DIRBS ) is an indigenous answer aimed at verifying the utilization of smuggled or counterfeit mobile phones. This problem was highlighted by Senator Mian Mohammad Ateeq Shaikh, who presented an Rs2, 000 receipt from the unblocking of a non-customs paid mobile phone. Senator Shaikh had claimed that the govt missing between Rs30, 000 and Rs35, 000 in taxes from this 1 deal. In a statement, the PTA declared that in the wake of issues related to the theft of passengers’ travel information to sign up mobile devices, the authority has referred such issues to the FIA for necessary action under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.
In response to the issues, the PTA declared, the FIA has begun to crack down on people involved in this practice. “PTA hopes that joint efforts with the lead role of FIA will curb identity improper use by fraudsters,” the influence said in the statement. The PTA said it was cognisant of the problem of unlawful mobile device sign up being carried out through the robbery of passport information of travelers and IMEI cloning — fake devices being programmed with a PTA permitted IMEI. The PTA declared that DIRBS is capable of tracing and blocking illegally registered mobile devices.
The authority cautioned the public to only utilize their own passport or CNIC number to signup devices and to buy only PTA-approved devices, failing which all such mobile devices will be blocked quickly and lawful action will be taken against such individuals. The PTA has asked customers to signup their mobile phones through the proper means, either by sending a text message, visiting franchises or availing the online facility.