4 Indians in Canada, 3 in Pakistan gang up, dupe banks with AI identities

Three Pakistanis teamed up with four Indians based in Canada to defraud Canadian banks using AI-generated passports and photographs, officials in Pakistan said. The racket was exposed by Pakistan's cybercrime agency, which said the suspects created fake identities, opened bank accounts remotely and exhausted credit card limits before discarding the cards.

In Short

• 3 Pakistanis, 4 Indians in Canada allegedly ran an AI-based bank fraud racket
• Fake AI passports helped open Canadian bank accounts and obtain credit cards
• Pakistan's cybercrime agency arrested 3 suspects, seized laptops and phones

These Indian and Pakistani men were separated by borders but united by a business idea of creating people who did not exist and duping banks.

Three Pakistanis allegedly joined hands with four Indians living in Canada to defraud Canadian banks using artificial intelligence-generated passports and photographs. Pakistan-based members of the network allegedly opened bank accounts remotely using the forged identities, while their Indian partners in Canada received the credit cards. The cards were then used to exhaust their credit limits before being discarded, according to Pakistan's Ministry of Cyber Affairs.

The cross-border racket came to light on October 19, when Pakistan's National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) announced a series of arrests in Lahore. Additional Director Atif Ameer disclosed the alleged network at a press conference, saying investigators had been tracking its activities for some time.

The case raises questions about how AI-generated identities can circumvent digital banking verification systems.

WHO ARE THE SEVEN SUSPECTS?

According to the NCCIA, the three Pakistan-based suspects were identified as Subhan Butt, Gulrez Butt and Muhammad Noman.

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

The agency alleged that the seven operated a synthetic identity fraud network, combining genuine personal information, including identity numbers and dates of birth, with fabricated details to create entirely new identities.

According to the NCCIA's Atif Ameer, the four Canada-based Indians allegedly prepared fake passports and photographs using AI and sent them to their Pakistani accomplices. The three Pakistanis then allegedly used these documents to open accounts remotely with major Canadian banks.

To get past identity verification, the suspects reportedly used Dolphin Anty, an anti-detect browser capable of masking device and browser information.

Once the accounts were operational, credit cards were ordered and delivered to the four individuals in Canada.

The accomplices in Canada allegedly exhausted the cards' credit limits and discarded them. Banks subsequently discovered the fraudulent identities while investigating the losses, according to the NCCIA account.

HOW PAKISTANI INVESTIGATORS BUSTED THE RACKET

At the October 19 press conference, Ameer said the NCCIA had arrested three suspects in connection with counterfeit Canadian identity documents and online financial fraud.

Investigators recovered four mobile phones, four laptops and printed copies of allegedly forged Canadian passports.

The arrests formed part of four separate NCCIA operations in Lahore, in which 10 suspects were arrested over different cybercrime allegations.

Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported the agency has not publicly identified the Canadian banks involved or disclosed the total financial losses. It's also unclear whether the four Indian suspects have been arrested or charged in Canada.

Investigators in Pakistan are examining the seized devices to establish the racket's full extent and identify additional accomplices.

AI-powered financial fraud has emerged as a growing concern in India too. Cybercriminals are increasingly using deepfakes and forged identities to bypass banking verification systems. In May 2026, an Ahmedabad-based gang was busted for allegedly using AI-generated videos to bypass Aadhaar authentication, open bank accounts and obtain fraudulent loans.

In another case in June, Delhi Police arrested five suspects after fraudsters allegedly cloned a Mumbai company director's voice to syphon off Rs 10 crore through multiple bank accounts.

- Ends