Cybercrime in Pakistan has surged by 35% in 2025, fueled by a sharp rise in WhatsApp hacking and digital financial fraud, according to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). Officials blame the growing threat on digital illiteracy, as many citizens unknowingly share sensitive data like OTPs with cybercriminals. Most attacks are believed to originate from South Punjab and cross-border networks. A recent report highlighted digital fraud as Pakistan’s most common cybercrime, with Visa’s 2024 study revealing that every second Pakistani faced online financial fraud, and one in five were targeted multiple times. The FIA’s 2024 report documented over 73,000 complaints but only 1,604 registered cases, nearly half involving financial scams. In Karachi alone, NCCIA has received around 29,000 complaints in 2025, mostly related to financial fraud, online harassment, and data theft, marking a worrying rise in digital crime nationwide.