Maps
Magazine

LEGAL

1.8 Million Women Targeted: Pakistan's Cybercrime Crisis Exposed
Pakistan’s cybercrime crisis! 1.8M women harassed, 2.7M complaints, but only 3.5% convictions. Deepfakes & AI fueling defamation. Govt forms Cyber Crime Agency—will it work?
ND
by News Desk
2025-03-14
1.8 Million Women Targeted: Pakistan's Cybercrime Crisis Exposed

Shocking figures have emerged as Hum Investigates uncovers the disturbing rise of cybercrime in Pakistan. Official statistics reveal that 1.8 million women have been targeted online in the past five years, while over 2.7 million complaints have been registered with law enforcement agencies.

Alarming Cybercrime Statistics

  • 80% of cybercrime complaints involve women & children
  • 1.8 million women filed complaints to FIA, PTA, police & Federal Ombudsman
  • Only 3.5% conviction rate: 225 suspects convicted out of 11,000 arrests
  • 96% of affected women could not get justice

Deepfakes and AI: A New Threat

The use of artificial intelligence and deepfakes to harass and defame individuals has skyrocketed. The Cybercrime Wing has received 51,000 complaints about deepfakes in three years, with most complainants being women.

A recent high-profile case involved Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, where cybercriminals edited her handshake with the UAE Emir using deepfake technology, prompting a formal protest from the UAE government.

The Scale of Online Harassment

Between 2020 and 2024, the FIA’s Cybercrime Wing received 639,000 complaints, including cases of online harassment, fraud, religious hatred, and defamation.

Year

Total Complaints

Confirmed Cases

Arrests

Convictions

2020

102,000

98,882

625

20

2021

115,868

80,803

1,306

38

2022

145,667

83,552

1,700

48

2023

152,136

82,396

2,007

92

2024

123,893

68,627

1,382

24

Government Response: National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency

To tackle the increasing cybercrime crisis, the government has passed a new Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) amendment, replacing the Cybercrime Investigation Wing with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency. However, questions remain:

  • Why was a new agency needed despite FIA’s existing role?
  • Can it address the alarming rise of online crimes?

A Growing Digital Crisis

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is overwhelmed, requesting the blocking of 900+ harmful posts daily. In five years, over 1.45 million posts were removed, including:

  • 90,000 URLs targeting the judiciary
  • 200,000 posts attacking defense institutions
  • 200,000 anti-Islamic & hate speech pages
  • 300,000 Facebook posts, 200,000 TikTok posts, 50,000 YouTube posts

The Future of Digital Safety in Pakistan

The rise of cybercrimes, deepfake threats, and social media frauds highlight Pakistan’s urgent need for stronger digital safety laws and enforcement. As cases continue to rise, will the new Cyber Crime Investigation Agency succeed where FIA struggled?
Tagged:

Pakistan

CyberCrime

PECA

Deepfakes

DigitalSecurity

WomenSafety
Share News: