Threat to digital trust

While Pakistan is striving to achieve rapid economic growth through digital development, fraudulent call centres operating in major cities are shattering citizens' trust. Although public awareness of digital fraud has grown, many innocent individuals continue to fall victim to sophisticated online scams. Legitimate customer support operations are meant to address grievances and protect consumers. On the contrary, these illicit set-ups actively engage in deceptive practices, resulting in the theft of both financial assets and sensitive personal data. Beyond the immediate victims, such criminal activities severely damage the reputation of Pakistan's legitimate Business Process Outsourcing sector and undermine efforts to build a resilient digital economy. This crisis is fueled by easy access to digital communication tools and weak regulatory oversight of businesses operating out of ordinary residential premises. Addressing this issue requires transparent registration and mandatory licensing of all call centres, alongside seamless coordination among the NCCIA, financial institutions and telecom operators. Pakistan cannot build a credible digital economy while fraudulent operations are allowed to thrive. Sodha Khurshid Absor