The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has taken significant steps to combat mobile fraud by blocking thousands of mobile numbers involved in fraudulent activities. PTA officials reported that 5,294 mobile numbers associated with scams were blocked in the past year.

Additionally, the authority disabled 4,507 international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) numbers linked to fraudulent activities and blocked 113 computer national identity cards (CNICs) associated with scams.

In its annual report, the PTA revealed it received 27,351 complaints regarding stolen mobile phones, along with 1,818 requests to unblock devices.

In other news, the PTA has resumed issuing class licenses for data services nationwide. According to a PTA statement, VPN service providers are required to obtain a class license to offer VPN and related services.

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On Monday, PTA Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Hafeezur Rehman emphasized that the authority has no intention of blocking VPNs, despite having the technical capability to do so.