Scammers Hijack Assistant Commissioner’s WhatsApp Account to Demand Money

The WhatsApp account of Assistant Commissioner Hajira, Azad Kashmir, Waleed Anwar, was hacked after scammers contacted him through a fraudulent phone call while impersonating representatives of a courier service. The attackers managed to deceive him into sharing a verification code, which allowed them to gain unauthorized access to his WhatsApp account.

After taking control of the account, the hackers began sending messages to people in his contact list, requesting money under false pretenses. Waleed Anwar later confirmed the security breach through his official social media accounts and cautioned the public not to respond to any messages from his WhatsApp number seeking financial assistance. He strongly urged citizens not to send money in response to such messages.

According to information shared by the local administration, this type of scam is becoming increasingly common. Fraudsters typically pose as courier company staff and contact individuals claiming to deliver parcels or important documents. During the call, victims are persuaded to share a one-time password or verification code sent to their mobile phones, which enables hackers to take over their WhatsApp accounts.

Once access is gained, the compromised accounts are often used to contact friends, family members, or colleagues to solicit money or carry out additional scams. Authorities have advised the public to never share OTPs or verification codes with anyone, emphasizing that legitimate courier companies do not ask for such information. Citizens have also been encouraged to verify suspicious calls through official channels, activate two-step verification on WhatsApp, and ignore messages from accounts that appear to have been compromised to prevent financial loss.