Dhaka: Chief Whip of Jatiya Sangsad Md. Nurul Islam Moni today urged the Members of Parliament (MPs) to remain alert against fraudulence activities involving the hacking of their mobile phones, voice cloning, and forged signatures. Speaking on a point of order in Jatiya Sangsad, he asked MPs to remain vigilant about such incidents and said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has started taking preventive measures to address the problems.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Moni highlighted reports in newspapers about mobile phone hacking, sharing that three MPs had informed him of messages being sent from their numbers requesting urgent funds of Tk 50,000, Tk 30,000, and Tk 25,000 respectively. He attempted to contact the MPs whose numbers had been compromised, but they did not answer his calls, indicating that their mobile numbers had been hacked.
Drawing the attention of the MPs, the Chief Whip emphasized the necessity for lawmakers to remain aware of the issue. He expressed that if MPs are informed about the problem, it would help spread awareness throughout the country via television. Moni further noted that fraudsters are also using voice cloning and forged documents to deceive people, affecting MPs across both the opposition and the ruling party.
Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal addressed the issue, stating that MPs who fall victim to voice cloning or other forms of digital fraud should not be held responsible for the incidents. He stressed that preventive measures should be taken by the relevant ministry, the executive branch, or the state to tackle such problems.
In response, Chief Whip Moni assured that the matter had been discussed previously and that the BTRC had already initiated efforts to implement preventive measures to resolve these issues effectively.