Check You Are on the Real HEC Degree Attestation Portal, Not the Fake Site
HEC says its only real attestation portal is eservices.hec.gov.pk and that it never phones for money. See how to read the address and what to do if you paid.
Short answer: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) says its only real online portal for degree attestation is eservices.hec.gov.pk, and that it does not phone people to offer attestation, verification or to ask for money. A copycat address, eservices.hecgovt.org.pk, has been flagged as fake. Check the web address before you type a password.
Picture a graduate who needs a degree attested for a visa file. A caller says he is "from HEC" and can finish it today for a small fee. The graduate sends a photo of the degree and the CNIC. That is how the fraud works, and HEC has put a public alert on its own announcements page about it.
We opened the HEC alert page and the HEC services page on 11 October 2026. The alert page shows no publication date, so we cannot tell you when HEC posted it. We did not log in to any portal, because that needs a real account and a real CNIC.
HEC names one real portal and one fake address
The alert says the only legitimate HEC online portal is eservices.hec.gov.pk. It also names one impersonation site, eservices.hecgovt.org.pk, with a login page. The real address ends in hec.gov.pk. The fake one ends in hecgovt.org.pk.
The two look close when you read fast. Both start with "eservices" and both contain "hec". The part that matters is the end of the address, the words just before the first single slash. Everything after that slash can be copied by anyone.
| Check | Real HEC portal | Fake site named in the alert |
|---|---|---|
| Address | eservices.hec.gov.pk | eservices.hecgovt.org.pk |
| Domain ends in | hec.gov.pk | hecgovt.org.pk |
| Who may call you | HEC says it does not contact individuals directly for attestation | Callers claim to be HEC staff |
| Asks for money by phone | HEC says it does not | Yes, this is the trap |
HEC says it does not call people about attestation or payment
The alert states that HEC does not contact individuals directly for attestation, verification services, or to ask for any payment or personal information over the phone. So any caller who offers to "speed up" your attestation is not acting for HEC.
Fraudsters, the alert says, claim to help with degree attestation while asking for money and sensitive data. They want your CNIC number, your portal password and the one-time code (OTP) that arrives by SMS. An OTP is a short code that proves it is really you. Giving it away hands over your account.
HEC also says it takes no responsibility for losses from these contacts. That is a reason to act before you pay, not after.
How to check the address before you sign in
Type the address yourself, look at the words before the first single slash, and confirm they end in hec.gov.pk. Do not open the portal from an SMS, a WhatsApp message or an advert. Those links are how the fake site reaches people.
- Close the link or message that sent you. Do not tap it again.
- Open your browser and type eservices.hec.gov.pk yourself, or open hec.gov.pk and follow the Degree Attestation link from HEC's own menu.
- Read the address bar. The part before the first single slash must end in hec.gov.pk.
- Look for the padlock, but do not trust it alone. A fake site can also have one.
- Sign in with your own account. Never share your password or OTP with a caller, even a polite one.
- Save the real address as a bookmark for next time.
What to do if you already shared a password, OTP or payment
Change your password at once on the real portal, and on any other account that used the same one. Tell your bank immediately if you paid or shared card or wallet details. Keep screenshots of the number, the messages and the payment receipt.
Then report it. The Federal Investigation Agency takes online complaints, and our guide on filing an FIA complaint online walks through the steps. If money left a bank or wallet account, contact that provider first. A fast report gives the best chance of a hold.
Do not pay a "recovery fee" to anyone who says they can reverse the loss. That is a second fraud.
HEC pages and guides name more than one hec.gov.pk portal
The alert names eservices.hec.gov.pk. HEC's services page also points students to that address. Other HEC pages use a sibling address, eportal.hec.gov.pk, for student services. Both end in hec.gov.pk. The test is the ending, not the first word.
Our earlier guide on HEC degree attestation online described the account step at eportal.hec.gov.pk. We have not been able to confirm which of the two HEC now treats as the main attestation sign-in, so follow the link from HEC's own page on the day. The same rule works for any other HEC service: if the address does not end in hec.gov.pk, stop.
Common questions
Does HEC phone students to offer degree attestation?
No. HEC's alert says it does not contact individuals directly for attestation or verification services, and does not ask for payment or personal information over the phone.
What is the fake HEC site named in the alert?
The alert names eservices.hecgovt.org.pk, with a login page. The real address ends in hec.gov.pk, while the fake one ends in hecgovt.org.pk.
Is a padlock icon proof that a site is real?
No. A padlock only means the connection is encrypted. A fake site can have one too, so read the domain ending instead.
When did HEC post the alert?
The page we read carries no date, so we cannot say. We saw it on HEC's announcements on 11 October 2026.
Should I pay anyone to speed up my attestation?
No. Fees go through the official portal. A person who asks for a payment by phone, wallet transfer or WhatsApp is not acting for HEC.
How do I know my university is real before I need attestation?
Check it against HEC's recognised list first. Our guide on checking a university is HEC recognised shows how.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the HEC public alert on fraudulent websites and scam calls and the HEC services page for students on 11 October 2026, at hec.gov.pk. We confirmed that eservices.hec.gov.pk answered a request on the same day. We did not read the attestation fee schedule, so this guide states no fee. The alert has no date, and the portal addresses on HEC pages can change.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
