Easypaisa is Charging People for Failing Biometric Verification

(The story was updated with easypaisa’s response to the article.) Easypaisa has been deducting Rs. 99 from users’ accounts who are failing their biometric verification with NADRA. One individual shared with ProPakistani that they were charged this fee multiple times after unsuccessful attempts to match their fingerprints. The message users receive following a failed verification reads: Here is what the message looks like. In response to ProPakistani’s request, Easypaisa said: Easypaisa quietly introduced a monthly SMS alert fee of Rs. 15 last year, which raised concerns regarding compliance with the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) instructions. In a circular issued in January 2022, SBP directed all banks and microfinance institutions to provide free SMS and email alerts for all digital transactions, both international and domestic. These alerts were to be sent immediately after transactions were executed. Despite this, users continue to be charged for SMS alerts, and many have reported delays in receiving notifications, which causes inconvenience when tracking transactions. To opt out of the SMS alert subscription, customers can contact an operator at 3737, a process that has been described as “unnecessarily complicated” by most users.