Fact Check: Is the FIA Monitoring Internet Activity for Pornographic Content?
Currently, a fake email is circulating among random individuals, falsely threatening legal repercussions for viewing child pornography. While viewing explicit content involving minors is indeed illegal in Pakistan, this email is entirely fraudulent.
Upon receiving this email, we reached out to sources within the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), who verified that this email is “completely fake” and that their cybercrime division is actively investigating it.
Spotting the Deception
The bogus email originates from a Gmail account (moussaouatara62@gmail.com) rather than an official government email. It purports to be from the “Office Of The Commissioner Of Police/Department Of Intelligence,” but later claims to be from the “Central Bureau of Investigation” (an Indian agency) Department of Research and Analysis Wing. Curiously, cybercrime monitoring is categorized as “research and analysis.”
However, the deception doesn’t stop there. The email also includes “official-looking” documents from the “National Response Centre For Cyber Crime.” Notice the inconsistency in agencies? Furthermore, it features the signature of FIA’s director Ahmad Ishaque Jehangir at the end. These “Certified” stamps can easily be found via Google search.
Here’s a visual representation:
[Visual representation of fake email omitted.]
As previously mentioned, it threatens legal action for engaging in illegal explicit content consumption. It intimates that the “Central Bureau of Investigation” possesses cutting-edge data monitoring and extraction tools, suggesting they can track online activity. As affirmed by the FIA, this is entirely fabricated.
The email warns of severe legal consequences if a response isn’t provided within 24 hours. However, it has been over 48 hours since then, and unsurprisingly, I am not composing this article from a jail cell.
