Fake Chromebook Registration Websites and SMS: How to Stay Safe

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The one rule that stops most Chromebook scams: registration for the PM Youth Chromebook Scheme happens on exactly one website — pmychromebooks.ibcc.edu.pk — and it is free. If a link, SMS, WhatsApp message, or “agent” takes you anywhere else, or asks for money, your OTP, or your documents over chat, it is not the scheme. It is a trap for your child’s identity documents.

This warning is urgent, not generic. The scheme was only launched on 25 October 2026, families are searching for it right now, and scammers move fastest when a new scheme is in the news. Independent portal guides were already warning about fake Chromebook portals and WhatsApp forwards asking for “registration fees” before the launch ceremony had even finished.

The 30-second check, before you type anything

  1. Read the full website address. The real portal is pmychromebooks.ibcc.edu.pk — nothing before it, nothing after it except a page path. Anything like pmychromebooks-apply.com, chromebook-scheme-pakistan.net, ibcc-chromebook-verify.xyz, or pmychromebooks.ibcc.edu.pk.example.com is fake, even if it shows government logos and photos from the launch ceremony.
  2. Type it yourself. Do not click a registration link from an SMS, WhatsApp forward, or Facebook ad. Open your browser and type the address. If the offer is genuine, it will also be reachable from the address you typed.
  3. Ignore the padlock. HTTPS (the padlock) only means the connection is encrypted. Scammers get HTTPS certificates too. It proves nothing about who runs the site.

Seven red flags of a fake Chromebook offer

  1. The domain is wrong. It ends in .com, .xyz, .net, or .org, or it adds words like “apply”, “register”, “verify”, or “portal” to the real name.
  2. It asks for a fee. “Registration fee”, “processing fee”, “delivery charges”, or “verification fee” through Easypaisa, JazzCash, or a personal bank account is a scam. No fee was seen on the IBCC portal or in any board notice checked. The scheme is free to register for.
  3. It asks for an OTP, PIN, or password. No government scheme asks for your one-time code, ATM PIN, or account password by SMS, WhatsApp, or web form. Ever.
  4. It asks for document photos over WhatsApp or a Google Form. The real portal collects documents through its own upload system (photo, result card, attested CNIC/B-Form copies, guardian CNIC copy — each 300 KB or smaller). A stranger collecting B-Form photos on WhatsApp is harvesting identity documents.
  5. It promises guaranteed selection. No agent can guarantee a Chromebook. Selection is merit-based from board shortlists. “Pay and your child’s name will be added” is fraud — boards, not agents, control the lists.
  6. It creates urgency. “Last chance today”, “Your child’s seat will be cancelled”, “Register in 2 hours” — panic is the scammer’s main tool. Real deadlines come from your board’s notice, not from a stranger’s message.
  7. It came from a personal number. Official programme messages do not come from a 03xx mobile number or a stranger’s WhatsApp account. If the “IBCC officer” messaging you uses a personal number, it is not IBCC.

One red flag is enough. Stop, do not enter anything, and verify independently.

Fake agents: the most dangerous trap for parents

The most convincing Chromebook scam is not a website — it is a helpful “agent” in a school WhatsApp group or on Facebook, offering to register your child, check their status, or “fast-track” their application for a small fee. Parents hand over the child’s B-Form number, a photo, and the guardian’s CNIC copy — exactly the set of documents needed for identity theft — and the agent disappears, or sells the data on.

Remember three things: real registration is free and you do it yourself on the IBCC portal; no agent can speed up or guarantee a board’s merit decision; and a B-Form number plus a photo plus a guardian’s CNIC copy is enough for identity theft — never send that set to a stranger. If you need help with the form, ask your child’s school or your board — never a paid stranger online.

Why children are the target here

This scheme’s victims are different from most scheme scams: the applicants are schoolchildren, and the documents are children’s identity papers. A child’s B-Form data, once stolen, can be misused for years before anyone notices, because children do not check credit records or SIM registrations. That is why this post is stricter than most scam guides: for this scheme, never share a child’s B-Form photo, result card, or guardian CNIC copy outside the official portal — not in a school group, not with a “helpful” stranger, not on a form someone forwarded.

If you already shared details or paid money, do this now

  1. If money left your account or wallet, call your bank or wallet provider’s helpline immediately, report the fraud, and ask them to block the card or account and try to freeze the transaction. Speed matters more than anything else.
  2. Never send more money to “recover” the first payment. Recovery fees are a second scam aimed at the same victims.
  3. Change passwords for any account that used the same password, and turn on two-factor authentication where available.
  4. Save the evidence: screenshots of the message, the website address, the sender’s number, and any transaction receipts.
  5. Report it. File a cybercrime complaint through the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) or the FIA’s online complaint channels; the FIA’s National Response Centre for Cyber Crime (NR3C) publishes guidance including online complaint submission and lists 1991 as a helpline for complaint guidance. Report to your bank or wallet provider first if money moved. You do not need to pay anything to file a cybercrime complaint.
  6. Watch for misuse. If a child’s B-Form details were shared, keep an eye out for unexpected SIM registrations or accounts in the child’s or guardian’s name, and report anything suspicious the same way.

How to verify anything about this scheme, safely

If a link you received does not match the official portal above, do not use it — however official it looks.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know the Chromebook portal is real?

Only one address is official: pmychromebooks.ibcc.edu.pk. Type it yourself; a logo, a padlock, and launch-ceremony photos prove nothing on their own.

Can the Chromebook scheme ask me for money?

No. No fee was seen on the IBCC portal or in board notices. A fee demand through Easypaisa, JazzCash, or a personal account is itself proof of a scam.

Someone in our school WhatsApp group offered to register my child for a small fee. Is that safe?

No. Real registration is free and done by you on the official portal. An agent cannot guarantee or speed up selection, and handing over a child’s B-Form and guardian CNIC copies to a stranger risks identity theft.

I already sent my child’s B-Form photo to a stranger. What do I do?

Stop sending anything further, save all evidence (messages, numbers, receipts), report it through the cybercrime channels above, and watch for misuse of the shared details.

Should I forward a scam message to warn others?

Do not forward the link — that spreads it. Warn people in your own words, report it, and delete the message.

Internal links: Chromebook Scheme Overview · How to Apply & Check Status · Fake Government Scheme Safety Guide · PM Youth Programme Explained

External official links: IBCC Chromebook portal — https://pmychromebooks.ibcc.edu.pk · FIA NR3C — https://www.nr3c.gov.pk/faq.html

YouthSchemes.com is an independent information resource and is not an official government website. If anything in this guide conflicts with an official notice, the official notice wins.

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