The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) and the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) have launched a joint campaign urging people to protect their parents and grandparents from fraudulent phone calls and online scams.
The campaign is part of Cyber Month 2026, observed under the theme “Stay Aware, Stay Secure”. Its goal is to promote safe digital habits and prevent the financial losses that scammers inflict, with the elderly identified as a group that needs special protection.
The tricks scammers use
The campaign warns against the most common fraud tactics doing the rounds. These include fake bank calls, callers claiming a relative is in distress and needs money urgently, false prize and lottery offers, and callers posing as government officials or technical support agents.
The method is almost always the same: create panic and urgency, then pressure the victim into sharing sensitive information or transferring money before they have time to think. Learning how to spot and avoid online scams takes away that advantage.
What the campaign advises
National CERT and NTC have reminded the public of a simple rule: banks never ask customers to share one-time passwords (OTPs), personal identification numbers (PINs) or account passwords over the phone. Anyone who asks for them is not from the bank.
Anyone who receives a suspicious call claiming their bank account has been blocked or compromised should hang up immediately and contact the bank through its official helpline instead of engaging with the caller. Scammers have also been building fake NADRA and FBR websites to steal citizens’ CNIC data, a scheme National CERT flagged earlier this month.
The campaign also advises people to verify claims that a family member urgently needs financial help by contacting that person directly — a quick call to the relative in question defeats the scam on the spot.
Other guidance includes never paying to claim prizes in lotteries or competitions that were never entered, and verifying callers who claim to represent government agencies or technical support services through official channels.
Three steps to stay safe
The campaign boils its advice down to three steps for countering fraudulent calls: pause before reacting, hang up on suspicious callers, and verify claims using trusted contact numbers. Citizens have also been encouraged to report suspicious calls to the relevant authorities.
The underlying message is that family awareness matters as much as technology. The two organisations stressed that responsible digital behaviour within households is essential to building a safer digital Pakistan.
Why this matters for Pakistani families
The campaign lands at a time when digital fraud is a daily worry for Pakistani households. Elderly parents and grandparents are often the first to answer an unknown number and the last to suspect a scam, especially when the caller sounds authoritative and the story is urgent.
The practical takeaways are worth pinning to the family WhatsApp group: no bank will ever ask for your OTP or PIN on a call, an “emergency” involving a relative should always be verified with that relative directly, and hanging up is always an option. For more on keeping accounts secure, see our guide on how to create a strong password you can remember. The push for safer digital habits also comes as regulators tighten the screws online, with the Islamabad High Court recently issuing notices over social media access for children.
*Source: ProPakistani*
