Lahore (Staff Report): Here are some precautionary measures for users to protect their credit/debit card theft.
1. Change your banking codes on a regular basis. The State Bank of Pakistan advises changing all your codes if not every month then at least every two months.
2. Ensure that international use of your card is restricted. Remove the restriction temporarily if an international transaction is required.
3. If you are unsure about a transaction, contact your bank immediately so your card can be blocked.
Earlier, Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cyber crime wing head Captain (retd) Mohammad Shoaib on Tuesday revealed that data of ‘almost all’ Pakistani banks was hacked in a recent cyber attack.
Shoaib said that several banks came under the recent attack on the Pakistani banking system. He said the FIA has written to all banks, and a meeting of the banks' heads and security managements is being called.
"Banks are the custodians of the money people have stored in them," Shoaib said and added, “They are also responsible if their security features are so weak that they result in pilferage."
It wasn't immediately clear when exactly the security breach took place.
According to Shoaib, more than 100 cases are being investigated by the agency in connection with the breach.
Banks are required to make the cyber security foolproof, he said, adding that the banks are responsible if any data breach incident happened.
A report claimed that around 19,864 debit and credit cards of 22 banks were sold on dark web forums. The price of the card ranged from $100-160.
Last week, multiple major Pakistani banks suspended debit cards international transactions facility after another rumoured dump of debit and credit cards was leaked on the dark web.
