Pakistan’s technology sector is increasingly positioning itself as an important contributor to exports, employment and digital transformation. According to the State Bank, Pakistan IT and IT-enabled services exports reached record $4.6 billion in FY2025–26. Yet, alongside legitimate software houses, BPOs and technology-enabled service providers, a parallel ecosystem of fraudulent and illegal call centres in Pakistan is creating serious reputational and commercial challenges for the country’s genuine IT businesses.
Types of Scams in Illegal Call Centres in Pakistan:
Illegal call centres in Pakistan—particularly in urban hubs like Karachi and Lahore—are heavily involved in international financial fraud, cyber-scams, identity theft, and digital money laundering. The federal government noted that digital financial fraud in Pakistan crossed Rs. 3 billion, prompting coordinated intelligence tracking.
Following is the list of various kind of illegal activities involving Call Centres:
- Financial Impersonation Fraud: Agents pose as representatives of foreign banks, tax authorities, or debt settlement agencies to deceive overseas citizens (primarily in the US, Canada, and Europe).
- Credit Card & Bank Scams: Pitching fake low-interest financial services, bogus credit card offers, or fraudulent online investments to extract sensitive banking data.
- Hacking & Extortion: Compromising bank or personal accounts, stealing digital credentials, and laundering or extorting funds through illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) setups.
- Online Grooming & Trafficking Operations: Utilizing multi-tiered setups involving illegal domestic and foreign workers (including Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indonesian nationals) for online scams, gambling, and obscene content.
Enters National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency:
While localized cyber-scams and rogue software houses have existed for years, large-scale clandestine call centre operations targeting foreign nationals have surged significantly since 2024 and become particularly visible in 2026. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has conducted repeated raids against alleged illegal call centres in Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. In September alone, authorities reported taking 212 people into custody in raids on three Islamabad call centres, while another Rawalpindi operation resulted in 61 arrests and the seizure of 155 laptops and 71 mobile phones.
These operations are not simply conventional call-centre businesses operating without proper registration. Investigations reported by authorities have involved allegations of impersonating banks and financial institutions, obtaining confidential financial information, using spoofing software, conducting loan-recovery scams and defrauding foreign citizens. In Karachi, for example, NCCIA reported raids on centres where staff allegedly impersonated foreign bank officials and obtained sensitive information including Social Security numbers, dates of birth and CVV codes.
The Damage to Genuine IT Companies:
The consequences extend far beyond individual victims. Every fraudulent operation that presents itself as a Pakistani technology or call-centre business can potentially undermine international confidence in the country’s wider IT ecosystem.
First, reputation suffers. Foreign clients may become more cautious when dealing with Pakistani companies, particularly in outsourcing, customer support and business-process services. Genuine companies then have to spend additional effort demonstrating that they operate transparently and comply with contractual, tax and regulatory requirements.
Second, legitimate businesses face unfair competition. A company providing genuine BPO or IT-enabled services invests in trained employees, cybersecurity, office infrastructure, taxation, compliance and customer protection. Fraudulent operations can avoid many of these legitimate costs while generating income through illegal activities. This creates an uneven competitive environment.
Third, international trust can be affected. Pakistan’s technology industry depends heavily on overseas customers and export markets. P@SHA has highlighted the substantial growth and economic importance of IT services and freelancing, making international confidence particularly valuable to the sector.
Fourth, legitimate employees and entrepreneurs can face suspicion. When illegal operations are repeatedly described as “call centres” or “IT companies”, the distinction between technology businesses and cybercrime operations can become blurred in public and international perception.
Protecting Pakistan’s Digital Economy:
The solution is not to restrict legitimate call centres or BPO companies. Instead, enforcement should distinguish clearly between lawful technology enterprises and criminal operations disguised as technology businesses. Effective registration, transparent ownership records, financial monitoring, cybersecurity compliance and stronger cooperation between regulators, law-enforcement agencies and industry associations can help. At the same time, genuine IT companies should maintain proper documentation, employee records, tax compliance, data-protection practices and verifiable international contracts.
Pakistan’s IT industry has significant export potential. But sustaining that growth requires more than increasing the number of technology companies—it requires protecting the credibility of the Pakistani digital brand. Cracking down on fraudulent call centres, while creating a predictable environment for legitimate IT and BPO businesses, is therefore important not only for combating cybercrime but also for safeguarding Pakistan’s ambitions in the global digital economy.
By
Editorial, Infocus.pk
