Latest news with #PoS
Zawya
27-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Qatar's payment system transactions total $3.81bln in April: QCB
Qatar's payment system transactions totalled QR13.9bn through 50.5mn transactions in April, according to the Qatar Central Bank. Majority (58%) of these were through points of sale (PoS), while e-commerce accounted for 26%, QCB data reveal. Instant payment system (Fawran) had a 15% share of the payment system transactions last month while Qatar Mobile Payment represented 1% of the total. PoS transactions totalled QR8.05bn through 40.11mn transactions while e-commerce transactions valued QR3.54bn through 8.95mn transactions in April. Fawran registered 1.3mn transactions totalling QR2.11bn in April. The total number of Fawran registered accounts is 3.03mn. The QCB introduced the National Network System for ATMs and Points of Sale (NAPS), which is the central payment system, in 1996 to facilitate the acceptance of cards transactions (debit cards and prepaid) on ATM, PoS and e-commerce terminals throughout the GCC region and Egypt. Additionally, the system accepts cards issued by the QCB, GCC and Egypt regulated banks. According to the QCB, NAPS is one of the first switches in the region to achieve full (EMV) compliance both as an acquirer and issuer. The system was upgraded in 2023 in line with the latest global standards in cards industry. It is a round-the-clock service, which supports card tokenisation and card-less payments. All banks in Qatar are members of the National Network System for ATMs and Points of Sale. Fawran is considered one of the innovative and advanced services, in line with the third strategy for the financial sector in the country and in continuation of the QCB's efforts to develop the infrastructure of payment systems and keep pace with the latest developments in payment systems and electronic transfer of funds. It is designed in accordance with a system based on the latest technologies and security standards, to maintain the security and confidentiality of the information created by the QCB to enable financial institutions to provide the service to their customers with complete reliability. One of the most prominent advantages provided by the instant payment service is enabling bank customers to send and receive money in the country immediately, and within moments. It will also be available round-the-clock without interruption. Earlier, the QCB noted that the launch of the Fawran is part of the projects it has undertaken to enhance the country's payment system. This initiative plays a significant role in strengthening the financial sector, providing diverse payment options for all segments of society, facilitating payment processes, and reducing reliance on cash, thereby lowering associated costs. © Gulf Times Newspaper 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
26-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Qatar: POS and e-commerce transactions hit $3.18bln in April
Doha, Qatar: The total value of transactions registered in Qatar through point of sale (PoS) terminals and e-commerce platforms reached QR11.59bn in April 2025, according to the latest card payment statistics. In a post on its X platform recently, Qatar Central Bank (QCB) revealed that the value of e-commerce transactions amounted to QR3.54bn, with a total volume of 8.95 million transactions. Meanwhile, point of sale transactions recorded a total value of approximately QR8.05bn, with a transaction volume of 40.11 million. The point of sale solution provides innovative, secure, and highly efficient payment processing services as it supports contactless card transactions, e-wallet, mobile PoS (mPoS), QR code scanner, and online billing and settlement. The e-commerce market in Qatar is showing healthy growth. Over the coming years, the country's e-commerce industry is poised for substantial growth with forecasts predicting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.40 percent by 2028. According to Instant Transfer System Statistics for April 2025, the instant payment system – Fawran service had 3.03 million total registered accounts with the total value of QR2.11bn and total volume of 1.30 million transactions. The statistics also noted that in April this year the Qatar Mobile Payments registered a total of 1.31 million wallets. The total value amounted to QR166.08m with the volume of around 174,000 transactions. In the same context, Qatar Central Bank stated that the total value of transactions across various payment systems reached QR13.86bn during April this year with a total volume of 50.54 million transactions. It also highlighted the share of each payment channel including point of sale transactions which accounted for 58 percent, e-commerce for 26 percent, mobile payment systems accounted for 1 percent, and the 'Fawran' instant payment service for 15 percent. Fawran is an innovative and advanced service aligned with the Third Financial Sector Strategic Plan. This service comes as part of QCB's ongoing efforts to develop the payment systems infrastructure and keep pace with the latest developments in the field of electronic payment systems and money transfer. QCB's innovative instant payment service 'Fawran' aims to develop a digital payment ecosystem in the country. The system has proven its efficiency in facilitating and improving payment processes by reducing the time required to transfer money between individuals and companies in Qatar. The service significantly benefits customers across the country and enables the beneficiaries to receive funds within seconds. It operates 24/7 and can be used through mobile banking applications and digital channels. It reflects QCB's commitment to provide the best services to customers of banks and financial institutions in the country, meeting their growing needs in line with the increasing demand for financial technology services. © Dar Al Sharq Press, Printing and Distribution. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Hindustan Times
18-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
CBI identifies 64k phone numbers likely used for cybercrimes in SE Asia
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has identified over 64,000 mobile phone numbers that were bought using forged documents and may have been used for cybercrimes in Southeast Asian countries, officials said on Saturday, days after the agency carried out searches at 42 locations in eight states as part of a crackdown on 'digital arrest' scams. The agency has named 39 point of sales (PoS) agents in an FIR who sold 1,100 'ghost SIM cards' to cybercriminals, after it identified 1,930 PoS agents across the country from where these numbers were purchased. The numbers were used for various criminal activities such as 'digital arrests', impersonation, bogus advertisements, investment and UPI frauds, and opening mule bank accounts, the FIR said. HT has seen a copy of the FIR. Giving details about the manner in which such crimes are conducted, the agency in its FIR said that cyber criminals use ghost SIM cards to impersonate and conceal their identity, and then target people. During its searches, the agency analysed complaints made on the National Cyber Crime Reporting portal from 2024 and the list of numbers was then filtered to identify those issued by Indian telecom companies but 'were roaming in South East Asian countries'. 'This analysis yielded 64,223 mobile numbers falling under the said risk parameters. The data suggests that 1,930 PoS across the country were engaged in sale of such SIM cards used for commission of various cybercrimes,' the FIR said. The PoS agents were earlier investigated and arrested by cyber cells of various state police departments, the FIR said. 'In some cases, 39 agents of PoS used to roam from door to door to sell SIMs,' it added. The FIR also explained the modus operandi of the criminals: When an individual approached a PoS to procure a SIM card, the agent would tell him that the eKYC had failed; ask to repeat process during which they would issue a ghost SIM to cybercriminals based on the second eKYC. 'The cyber-criminal use eKYC to open a mule bank account and make fraudulent calls,' the FIR said. The agency said that the role of executives of telecom service providers also needs to be probed in the matter. On May 10, the agency said that searches were conducted as part of the ongoing 'Operation Chakra V', which is aimed at curbing cybercrimes and digital arrest-related frauds. The raids were carried out on the premises of various point-of-sale agents of telecom operators in Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, a CBI statement said.
Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Indian Express
CBI books 39 agents for issuing 1,100 ghost SIM cards used for cyber fraud
Following a probe, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against 39 point of sale (PoS) agents based in various states for allegedly issuing 1,100 ghost SIM cards. The investigation, conducted after analysing complaints made by victims on the National Crime Reporting Portal, revealed that there are around 1,930 point of sale (PoS) agents from whom SIM cards were purchased, and they have sold around 64,223 mobile numbers on forged documents or those that were misused in cybercrime in Southeast Asian countries. Among the 1,930 PoS agents, many have been arrested by the concerned state police, and the agency has now booked 39 PoS agents based in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Maharashtra. In the FIR registered on May 8, the CBI said, 'Various PoS agents acting in connivance with cyber criminals/fraudsters and unknown executives of telecom service providers are facilitating them by issuing SIM cards which are subsequently used in illegal activities involving digital arrest, impersonation, fraudulent advertisement, investment fraud, UPI fraud etc.' Nine of the agents are from Uttar Pradesh, 15 from West Bengal, seven from Assam, four from Maharashtra, and one each from Bihar, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. 'During verification conducted by the CBI, it was found that most of the SIM cards have failed the re-verification/e-KYC initiated by the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) subsequent to commission of fraud which shows criminal conspiracy on part of 39 PoS agents, unknown executives of Telecom Service Providers and other unknown persons,' the FIR said. 'It was also found that around 1,100 SIM cards which were issued by the 39 PoS agents were used in various cybercrimes and about 2,200 complaints were reported and registered against them,' the FIR further states. The Indian Express first reported that more than 5,000 Indians were suspected to be trapped in Cambodia after being allegedly held against their will, and forced to carry out cyber frauds. According to government estimates, Indians had been duped of at least Rs 500 crore in the six months before March this year. The Centre had then set up the inter-ministerial panel to look into the issue and identify loopholes. The panel later identified gaps in the banking, immigration, and telecom sectors. The FIR registered by the CBI is also a part of the decision by the central agency after an inter-ministerial panel highlighted the issue. In the verification report, the CBI said that the cyber criminals are using 'ghost SIM cards' – to impersonate and conceal their identity – which are mainly registered in the name of other individuals without their knowledge. 'Complaints from 2024, made by victims on the National Crime Reporting Portal were analysed, and the mobile numbers reported by them were collected. The list of mobile numbers was also filtered to identify those issued by Indian telecom companies, but were roaming in Southeast Asian countries,' the report stated. 'This analysis yielded 64,223 mobile numbers falling under the risk parameters and data pertaining to the PoS agents suggests that 1,930 PoS agents across the country were engaged in the sale of such SIM cards used for the commission of various cybercrimes,' the report said. Explaining the modus operandi, an officer said that for issuing a SIM card, e-KYC of the customer is mandatory and the same has to be done by the PoS agent. 'When a customer visits the PoS agent for the purchase of a SIM card, they conduct the e-KYC of the customer. During the e-KYC, the PoS agents inform the customer that the e-KYC has failed and ask them again for e-KYC. But, the PoS agents issued a SIM card during both the e-KYC and the customer was not aware about the second ghost SIM card,' the officer said, citing the verification report. Later on, the PoS agents sell all the ghost SIM cards to cyber criminals, which are further used for opening mule bank accounts and also for making fraudulent calls. 'It is suspected that the role of executives of telecom service providers may also be found in the activation of these ghost SIM cards,' the officer said. Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More
Business Recorder
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Implementation of SRO, PoS merger by FBR: FBR ordered to stop issuing notices to educational centres
ISLAMABAD: Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has approved the appeal of All Pakistan Private Schools Federation against the implementation of SRO and Point of Sale (PoS) merger by FBR and has issued instructions to FBR to form a high-level committee and stop issuing notices to educational institutions. The committee includes All Pakistan Private Schools Federation's President Kashif Mirza, Senior Vice President Dr Malik Abrar Hussain and Provincial President Sindh Akhtar Arain, while FBR is represented by Arshad Nawaz Chheena and Asif Rasool. According to the details, the All Pakistan Private Schools Federation, represented by Central Senior Vice President Dr Malik Abrar Hussain, Provincial Presidents Sindh, Akhtar Arain, Punjab Hasnain Mirza, Balochistan Rashid Kakar and KPK Saleem Khan had filed an appeal with the Federal Tax Ombudsman requesting the withdrawal of the Federal Board of Revenue's SRO-428 (I)/2024, on which the Tax Ombudsman Pakistan accepted the appeal against the FBR's unfair classification of the disputed SRO as retailers and implementation of point of sale integration and directed the FBR to constitute a high-level committee comprising representation from the federation. Federation President Kashif Mirza, SVP Dr Malik Abrar Hussain, Akhtar Arain, Hasnain Mirza, Rashid Kakra and Saleem Khan said in their statement that 'by accepting the appeal, the Federal Tax Ombudsman has fulfilled his educational patronage and constitutional responsibility, for which we pay tribute to him.' The leaders said the unfair SRO classifies schools as retailers and implements point of sale, which is a violation of Article 25A of the Constitution. The implementation of SRO will affect low-fee schools, which will affect the education of poor children and increase inequality. Internet access in schools across the country is only 18 percent, 12 percent of teachers are digitally literate, 15 percent of educational institutions have basic computer labs, only 5 percent have high-speed internet and digital tools available, low-income schools will be negatively impacted by online integration notices, increasing dropout rates and closing quality education schools. Federation leaders have demanded that the government and FBR immediately withdraw the decision and prioritize complete and permanent exemption and promotion of education. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
