Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in cybercrime in recent months, with a lack of digital literacy cited as the main reason.
Arsalan Manzoor, Deputy Director of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Karachi, revealed that cybercrime rates in the country have risen by 35% so far in 2025.
He said the main reason for this increase is the severe lack of digital literacy in Pakistan, which makes citizens easy prey for hackers; people often fall for scams and themselves share OTPs received on WhatsApp.
He added that policymakers are making rules with only the younger generation in mind, while digital fraud affects people of all ages, whether baby boomers, Generation X, or Generation Z. He noted that the crime rate could change further by year-end.
This rise in cybercrime has coincided with preparations to legalize cryptocurrencies, the issuance of a central bank digital currency, and the broader digitalization of the national economy.
According to a Federal Investigation Agency report, the agency received over 73,000 complaints in 2024, of which only 1,604 cases were formally registered; nearly half of those complaints were related to financial fraud.
Despite this situation, Pakistan’s ranking in the Global Cybersecurity Index has improved: from 79th in 2021 to being among the top 46 countries in 2024.
