SIALKOT - International hackers deprived Sialkot based sports good exporter Irfan Mushtaq of 18,000 Euros (Rs3.2 million) by hacking his bank account. The money had been sent to him by his foreign customers.

Chairman SCCI’s Departmental Committee on Media and Cyber Crime Umer Khalid told the media that Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) had forwarded this fresh case of cyber crime to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

He said that more than 70 cases of cyber crime and money hacking against Sialkot exporters by international hackers had been reported to the SCCI during the last few years. “Seven cases of money hacking were reported against Sialkot exporters only in the month of April 2019,” he added.

He sought urgent help and remedy by FIA and TDAP against the growing incidents of cyber crime/money hacking in Sialkot by some unknown international hackers.

70 cyber crime cases against Sialkot exporters reported so far

SCCI’s Departmental Committee on Media/Cyber Crime has expressed grave concern over the rising incidents of money hacking and cyber crime against the Sialkot exporters.

Addressing the meeting, Chairman Umer Khalid asked the Sialkot exporters to upgrade the Information Technology (IT) infrastructure in their factories, besides, upgrading their cyber security systems and adopting advanced information technology (IT) skills to avert further such incidents in future. He said the cases of money hacking would be pursued till end.

The chairman added that the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) was seeking help of Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Secretary of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Pakistani Commercial Consulates in abroad, and the foreign customers of Sialkot exporters to provide remedy to the victims of money hacking incidents by the international hackers. He said that these hacking cases would be forwarded to the FIA Cyber Crime Wing with the help of the FIA director general.

The committee’s senior member Arif Mehmood Sheikh said that the hackers were targeting the small businesses, SMEs and exporters in Sialkot here by hacking their computers and data breaching as well.

Committee’s Secretary Salman Mir told the meeting that SCCI will soon host an awareness-raising seminar at SCCI, in which the international exporters will give detailed briefing about the computer hacking, data breach laws and the reasons behind the targeting of the exporters by the hackers as well.

Meanwhile, Senior Vice President of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Waqas Akram Awan revealed that the major reasons behind the rising incidents of the cyber crime were the lack of the advanced skills of information technology and cyber security as well.

SCCI’s Departmental Committee on Media/ Cyber Crime expressed grave concern over the rising cyber crime incidents with the Sialkot exporters by the unknown hackers. Committee also sought the active cooperation and help of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), secretary TDAP, Pakistan’s trade attaches in foreign embassies and Sialkot exporters’ foreign customers in curbing the menace of cyber crime with the Sialkot exporters for early relief, in this regard.

Chairman Committee Umer Khalid said that the Sialkot exporters also demanded the early establishment of special counter of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) at Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) to facilitate the Sialkot exporters for the submission of their cyber crime complaints and cases before FIA’s Cyber Crime Wing as well.

He also stressed upon the Sialkot exporters to upgrade their cyber systems besides adopting the advanced information technology (IT) skills to avert further cyber crime by the unknown hackers in future.

Senior members of SCCI’s Departmental Committee on Media/ Cyber Crime Kashif Almas, Muhammad Ayub Khan, Abid Hussain Mehdi, Arif Mehmood Sheikh, Khawaja Rehan Naseem, Mohsin Gull and victims of these hacking incidents also attended this important meeting.