Separated by borders, united by scam: Four Indians, three Pakistanis join hands to defraud Canadian banks using AI

PTC News Desk: Three Pakistani men allegedly worked with four Indian men living in Canada to cheat Canadian banks using fake identities created with artificial intelligence (AI).

According to Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), the suspects allegedly used AI-generated passports and photographs to create fake identities and open bank accounts. The Pakistani members reportedly opened the accounts online, while their Indian partners in Canada received the credit cards. The cards were then used to spend the full credit limits before being discarded.

The alleged fraud came to light on October 19, when the NCCIA announced arrests in Lahore. Additional Director Atif Ameer revealed details of the case at a press conference, saying investigators had been tracking the network for some time.

The case has raised concerns about how AI-generated identities can be used to bypass digital banking security systems.

Who are the seven suspects ?

According to the NCCIA, the three Pakistani suspects are Subhan Butt, Gulrez Butt and Muhammad Noman.

Their four alleged Indian accomplices living in Canada have been identified as Deep Singh, Parjeet Singh, Harpreet Singh and Gurleen Singh.

Investigators allege that the group used a method known as synthetic identity fraud. This involves combining real personal information, such as identity numbers and dates of birth, with fake details to create identities that do not belong to real people.

According to Atif Ameer, the four Indians based in Canada allegedly created fake passports and photographs using AI and sent them to their Pakistani associates. The three Pakistani suspects then reportedly used these documents to open accounts with major Canadian banks without visiting the branches in person.

To avoid detection during online identity checks, the suspects allegedly used a tool called Dolphin Anty. This anti-detect browser can hide or change information about a device and browser, making it harder for online systems to identify users.

Once the bank accounts were opened, credit cards were ordered and delivered to the four alleged accomplices in Canada.

The Canadian-based suspects allegedly used the cards to reach their credit limits and then discarded them. According to the NCCIA, the banks discovered the suspected fraud while investigating their financial losses.

How did Pakistan bust network ?

At the October 19 press conference, Ameer said the NCCIA had arrested three suspects over alleged online financial fraud involving fake Canadian identity documents.

During the investigation, officials seized four mobile phones, four laptops and printed copies of passports suspected to be forged. The arrests were part of four separate NCCIA operations in Lahore. A total of 10 suspects were arrested in these operations over various cybercrime allegations.

According to Pakistani newspaper Dawn, the agency has not publicly named the Canadian banks involved or revealed the total amount of money allegedly lost in the fraud. It is also unclear whether the four Indian suspects living in Canada have been arrested or formally charged there.

Investigators in Pakistan are examining the seized electronic devices to determine the full scale of the alleged operation and identify any other people who may have been involved.