National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency operations in major Pakistani cities are targeting cybercrime and illegal call centers under the direction of Lahore Zone Additional Director SP Atif Ameer, whose team also arrested a suspect linked to a $126 million US postage stamp fraud. Following these raids, Atif Ameer explained industry rules during a press conference and detailed the conditions required for a call center to operate legally.
Strict regulatory compliance is mandatory to run a legitimate call center, and businesses must obtain clearances from three government entities, according to Atif Ameer.
- The call center must hold an active registration with the Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).
- The business must secure a formal registration from the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB).
- The company must maintain proper registration with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
Registrations Cannot Cover Fraud
Atif Ameer cautioned that holding these three registrations does not exempt a company from other rules, noting that some call centers obtain legal paperwork for a specific purpose but abandon it to engage in illegal work. He cited a recent raid where the agency shut down a call center with 200 workers that held all required SECP, PSEB, and FBR registrations for medical billing, but employees ignored medical billing entirely and used the office exclusively for scams and organized fraud. Authorities will maintain close watch on call centers to guarantee they carry out the exact legal services declared in their registration.
