Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has a new chief at the helm, and he is not wasting any time. On September 16, newly appointed Director General Rizvi called a nationwide meeting with regional heads in Islamabad, handing down some strict marching orders right off the bat.
The agency is spearheading a massive joint operation alongside 12 other departments, zeroing in on illegal call centers involved in telecom scams, ATM card skimming, and online gambling.
Rizvi, a former Islamabad Senior Superintendent of Police with a reputation for taking a hard line, laid down the law at the meeting. He warned local commanders that if an illegal call center is caught running on their turf without quick action, the officers in charge will be held personally accountable. To make sure staff stay sharp, the agency is setting up round-the-clock performance reviews and beefing up 24/7 online surveillance.
For those familiar with how these scam hubs operate, they are notoriously slick at blending in—often hiding in standard residential houses with nothing more than a few fast broadband lines and a pile of motorbikes parked out front. Local media says top officials are dead serious about this campaign. With whispers already spreading on the ground, a heavy wave of raids is expected to follow soon.
