Every time the government of Pakistan announces a new scheme — Rashan Card, Kisan Card, a solar panel programme, an interest-free loan — a wave of fake websites, fake WhatsApp numbers and fake “agents” appears within days. They target exactly the people these schemes are meant to help: low-income families, farmers, students and first-time applicants who have never used a government portal before.
This guide explains, in plain language, how these scams work and how you can check whether a scheme, website or message is real — before you hand over your CNIC number or a single rupee.
How These Scams Usually Work
Most scams follow one of a few predictable patterns. Once you recognise the pattern, the individual scam becomes obvious.
1. The fake registration website
A site is built that copies the look of a government portal — same green colours, same official-looking crest, a similar domain name such as ehsaas-program-pk.com or bisp-registration.online. It asks for your CNIC, mobile number and sometimes a small fee via Easypaisa or JazzCash. Nothing is submitted anywhere; your data is collected and your money is gone.
2. The WhatsApp “helper”
Someone messages you offering to “apply on your behalf from home” for a few hundred rupees. Real government recruitment and scheme applications are never processed through a personal WhatsApp number.
3. The fake approval SMS
You receive a message saying your application is approved and you must pay a “delivery” or “clearance” charge to release the money. Government payments are never released against an advance payment from you.
4. The CNIC harvesting form
Some fake pages do not ask for money at all — they only collect CNIC numbers, mobile numbers and family details. That information is later sold or used to open accounts and SIMs in your name. A form that asks for nothing but your identity data, with no official domain behind it, is still dangerous.
Warning Signs: When to Stop Immediately
- Any request for money to apply, register, or “confirm” your application
- The web address does not end in .gov.pk and is not the bank or department named in the official advertisement
- You are asked to send your CNIC picture or details to a personal WhatsApp or Facebook account
- The page promises “guaranteed selection” or “100% approval”
- You are pressured to act “within 24 hours before the quota finishes”
- Someone asks for your bank account password, ATM PIN or an OTP code sent to your phone
- The scheme is announced only on social media, with no mention on any government website or in a newspaper advertisement
- Spelling mistakes, broken Urdu, or a logo that looks slightly stretched or low quality
How to Verify a Scheme in Four Steps
- Check the domain. Genuine Pakistani government portals end in .gov.pk. Look at the address bar carefully — scammers use lookalike names with extra words or different endings.
- Find the same announcement on an official source. A real scheme will appear on the relevant department’s own website, or in a printed newspaper advertisement. If it exists only on a Facebook page, treat it as false until proven otherwise.
- Confirm the helpline number from the official site itself — not from the message you received. Scammers put their own number inside fake posters.
- Ask at a physical office. For BISP and Ehsaas programmes, a tehsil office or registration centre can confirm in a minute whether a scheme or SMS is genuine.
Official Domains Worth Memorising
These are the kinds of addresses genuine programmes use. When in doubt, type the address yourself rather than clicking a link someone sent you.
| Programme / Service | Official domain pattern |
|---|---|
| BISP / Ehsaas programmes | bisp.gov.pk (and the 8171 SMS service) |
| Punjab government schemes | punjab.gov.pk and its sub-portals |
| NADRA services | nadra.gov.pk / id.nadra.gov.pk |
| Passport services | dgip.gov.pk |
| Armed forces recruitment | joinpakarmy.gov.pk, joinpaf.gov.pk, joinpaknavy.gov.pk |
| Bank-run scheme financing | The bank’s own domain named in the official advertisement |
What to Do If You Have Already Been Scammed
- Stop all further payments immediately — scammers usually return asking for “one last” fee
- If you shared an OTP or bank details, call your bank’s helpline at once and ask them to freeze the account
- Report the incident to the FIA Cyber Crime Wing, which handles online fraud in Pakistan
- Keep screenshots of the messages, the number, and any payment receipts — they are needed for the complaint
- Warn family and neighbours, especially older relatives, since the same number is usually reused on many people
Frequently Asked Questions
Not to apply. Some services have an official government charge collected at a designated bank branch or NADRA counter against a printed challan — for example a passport fee. But no genuine scheme asks you to send money to a personal Easypaisa or JazzCash number.
A shopkeeper charging you for internet time and typing is not itself fraud. The danger is handing over your CNIC and OTP to a stranger. Wherever possible, apply yourself, and never let anyone else receive the OTP sent to your number.
Check the sender. Genuine BISP eligibility responses come through the official 8171 service. If a message comes from an ordinary mobile number and asks you to click a link or pay something, it is fake.
Look only at the domain in the address bar, not the design. Anyone can copy a logo and colours in an afternoon; nobody can copy an official .gov.pk address.
Yes, when the scheme officially runs through that bank and the advertisement names it. Confirm the bank on the government page first, then go to the bank’s own domain directly.
In Short
Almost every scam around Pakistani government schemes collapses under three simple checks: does the address end in .gov.pk, is anyone asking me for money, and can I find this same announcement on an official source. If a message fails any one of those, walk away.
Government schemes exist to help people who need them, and applying is free. You can browse verified programmes on our government schemes page. Take the extra few minutes to verify — and share this with the people in your family who are most likely to be targeted.