FIA Cyber Crime Director Reveals Illegal UK SIM Cards Are Being Widely Used in Pakistan
Waqaruddin Syed, the Additional Director of FIA Cyber Crime, revealed that illegal SIM cards from the UK are being widely used in Pakistan. During a press conference in Islamabad, he stated that UK SIM cards are easily available in the Pakistani market, and they are not only cheap but also pre-activated. “You can simply buy these SIM cards, enter a code, and the SIM becomes activated,” he explained.
He highlighted that criminals often use these SIM cards to conceal their identities. He further praised the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and local telecom operators for their efforts to regulate and secure local SIM cards, which require biometric verification, national ID registration, and activation through OTP (One Time Password). “For local SIMs, the identity of the person to whom the SIM is registered cannot be hidden,” he said.
As a result, criminals have turned to international SIM cards to hide their identities. These SIM cards can be easily purchased online, often through advertisements on platforms like TikTok, and are delivered within a week or ten days. Once received, the SIM cards can be inserted into phones and used without any identification linking back to the user.
He also pointed out that people traveling from abroad often bring these foreign SIM cards to Pakistan and sell them. Waqaruddin Syed emphasized that using or selling these illegal SIM cards is against the law and warned that the FIA has launched a crackdown against individuals involved in this activity. “We have seized numerous illegal SIM cards and made several arrests,” he added.
