Fact-check: No, Pakistan's ATMs and online banking are not under cyber-attack

A recent message circulating on WhatsApp and social media in Pakistan warns people to avoid using ATMs and online banking for the next few days due to an alleged ransomware attack.

This claim is baseless.

Claim

“ATMs will be closed for next two to three days probably, due to ransomware cyber-attack within Pakistan,” wrote a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, on August 17, “Don’t do any online transactions today.”

Similar claims also took off here, here and here. While the text has circulated on WhatsApp groups as well.

Fact

There is no evidence supporting the claim that ATMs or online banking are at risk due to malware in Pakistan.

Noor Ahmad, spokesperson for the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), confirmed to Geo Fact Check that the claims are false. He then referred to a statement from 1LINK (Pvt) Limited, which manages the country's major e-payment gateway.

On August 18, 1LINK issued a press release denouncing the "fake rumours" about ATM closures and online banking. The statement reassured the public that no cyber threat had been observed and advised ignoring such hoaxes.

The full statement can be read here.

Geo Fact Check also contacted Bank Alfalah. Madiha Javed Qureshi, the head of corporate communications, stated that the claims were "unsubstantiated" and confirmed that Bank Alfalah’s ATMs and online banking services were operating normally.

Additionally, Asif Iqbal Chaudhry, deputy director of the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing, dismissed the claim as "false," noting that such attacks cannot be predicted.

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