Lahore: Pakistan’s anti-cybercrime agency has arrested 40 suspects in Punjab province after raiding an illegal call centre where artificial intelligence (AI) tools were being used to create fake images of persons who failed to repay loans, an official said on Wednesday.
National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Additional Director Atif Ameer said that the call centre located in GCP housing society in Lahore was operating several instant loan apps –Â Gurbat Fund, Jahez Fund, Cash Air, Credit Check and Credit Support.
According to the official, the apps would gain access to borrowers’ photo galleries and contact lists when installed on their mobile phones.
If the borrowers failed to repay the loans on time, the call centre staff would use AI tools to alter their photographs and turn them into explicit images. The victims were then threatened that the images would be sent to their family members and other contacts if they did not make immediate payments, he added.
He said 41 laptops and 40 mobiles were seized from the suspects, who have been booked under different sections of the PECA (Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act).
He said the agency is also probing whether this network has any links outside Pakistan.