Staff Reporter
An Islamabad-based lady teacher is deprived of Rs150,000 in a cyber fraud after an unidentified person impersonating her brother-in-law contacted her and sought urgent financial assistance for a baby purportedly admitted to a hospital.
According to her complaint, the incident occurred on September 5, 2026, when the fraudster allegedly used the name and voice of her brother-in-law to convince her that he urgently needed money.
A teacher at a school in Islamabad, the complainant said she initially asked the caller to contact her husband, Zubair Qureshi, a journalist and elder brother of the caller (impersonating), but the caller insisted that it was an emergency and repeatedly requested immediate financial assistance.
Believing the caller to be her brother-in-law, she sought help from a colleague another lady teacher, who transferred a total of Rs150,000 in two instalments to an account provided by the caller.
The account provided was that of the BankIslami.
She later discovered that the caller was actually a fraudster who had impersonated her brother-in-law and deceived her into arranging and transferring the money.
She has lodged an online complaint through the cybercrime complaint portal and requested the FIA Cyber Crime Wing to investigate the matter, trace the beneficiary/account holder and the person responsible for the impersonation, and initiate appropriate legal action.
The teacher has also sought recovery of the Rs150,000 allegedly obtained through the fraudulent transaction. She has also all the call details, messages, transaction receipts and other relevant evidence to assist investigators.
The incident highlights the growing use of impersonation and social-engineering tactics in cyber fraud, where criminals exploit personal relationships and create a sense of urgency to persuade victims to transfer money.
