How to Report a Cybercrime in Pakistan

The body that handles cybercrime in Pakistan has changed, and most advice online has not caught up. Cybercrime investigation is reported to have moved from the Federal Investigation Agency's cyber crime wing to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, and the old FIA cybercrime helpline 1991 is reported to be no longer the number for these matters.

The reported replacement is NCCIA, with a helpline given as 1799 and an online complaint portal. We say reported deliberately, and the reason is in the next section, because it affects how you should use this page.

What we could and could not confirm

We tried to read this at source on 26 August 2026 and could not, which is unusual enough to tell you about.

A refusal is not evidence that a site is down for you. Government sites frequently block automated requests while working perfectly in a normal browser, so try them yourself. What it does mean is that the helpline number, the portal address and the transition itself are reported here rather than read on the agency's own page, and you should confirm the current number before relying on it.

Evidence is the part you control

Whatever the agency is called, a complaint succeeds or fails on what you can show. Collect before you report, because accounts get deleted and chats disappear.

1. Screenshot everything, including the profile, the messages and the dates.
2. Save the account name, the link and any phone number or email used.
3. Keep transaction records if money moved, with dates, amounts and the receiving account.
4. Write a plain timeline of what happened and when.
5. Keep your CNIC copy ready, since a written complaint normally needs it.

Do not edit or crop evidence to make a point. Provide it as it is, because altered material weakens an otherwise good complaint.

If money has moved, act on two tracks at once

A cybercrime complaint does not freeze a bank account. If you have been defrauded, contact your bank immediately as a separate and parallel step, because the speed of that call affects whether anything can be held.

Bank contact numbers are collected in our list of bank helplines, and the route for disputing a transaction with the bank is set out separately in our guide to unauthorised transactions. Report to the police or the cybercrime agency as well, but do not let it replace the call to the bank.

Harassment, blackmail and impersonation

These are the complaints people delay for reasons that are entirely understandable, and delay usually makes them worse. A few practical points that apply regardless of which agency takes the file.

Do not pay a blackmailer. Payment is treated by people who do this as proof that more will follow. Do not delete the account or the messages before you have preserved them, because deleting removes your evidence and not their copy. Keep one trusted person informed, since handling it alone is what makes it unbearable.

If an account is impersonating you, report it to the platform as well as to the agency, because the platform can act on its own timeline. If your own account has been restricted in the process, our guide on a WhatsApp account under review covers that separate problem.

If your identity has been used

Where a CNIC has been misused, the damage often shows up as connections or accounts opened in your name. Check what is registered against your identity rather than assuming, and our guides to checking SIMs registered on your CNIC and reporting an unknown SIM cover the telecom side, which is the quickest thing to verify.

Keep the complaint number

Whatever channel you use, get a reference and keep it. A complaint you cannot identify later is very hard to follow up, and the first question at any follow up is the number.

Note the date, the channel used, and the name of anyone you spoke to. If you file in person at a reporting centre, ask for an acknowledgement of the written application rather than leaving with nothing.

Common questions about reporting cybercrime

Is it still the FIA that handles cybercrime?

Reporting says the function moved to NCCIA in 2026 and that the FIA cybercrime helpline 1991 is no longer used for this. We could not confirm it on either agency's own site, so verify the current channel before relying on it.

What is the cybercrime helpline number?

1799 is the number reported for NCCIA. Because we could not read it at source, treat it as a starting point and confirm rather than assume.

Does a complaint cost anything?

Filing a complaint with a state agency is not a paid service. Anyone charging you to lodge one, or promising a result for a fee, is not part of the process.

Can I report anonymously?

A formal complaint normally requires your identity and a CNIC copy. If your safety is the concern, take advice before filing rather than filing and hoping.

How long does it take?

No timeline is published that we could read, and it will depend on the case. Keep your reference number and follow up rather than waiting silently.

Last checked and sources

Last checked 26 August 2026. We attempted nccia.gov.pk, its FAQ page and complaint.nccia.gov.pk on that date and all three refused our requests with a 403, while the FIA cyber crime wing page returned a 500 server error. The general FIA public services complaint portal at complaint.fia.gov.pk did respond and offers complaint registration and a status check, and the PTA complaint portal also responded. The move of cybercrime functions to NCCIA, the 1799 helpline and the complaint portal address are therefore reported, drawn from legal and news coverage, and are not read on an official page. This is general information and not legal advice. If you are being blackmailed or are in danger, treat it as urgent and get help from someone you trust as well as from the authorities.