In Uzbekistan, Telegram channels offering goods at prices several times lower than market rates have been proliferating. Administrators claim they are selling products confiscated by customs authorities. In reality, this is a criminal scheme where online fraudsters impersonate customs officials.

According to the Customs Committee, one suspect posted advertisements with extremely low prices—for example, a scooter for 800,000 soums or a laptop for 500,000 soums. The descriptions alleged that the goods were seized by customs and sold with discounts of up to 80%.

To build trust, the scammers used fake licenses and logos of the State Security Service and the customs service. Gullible citizens transferred money to bank cards, after which contact with the 'seller' was cut off—buyers were simply blacklisted. Victims ended up with neither money nor goods.

On April 27, during a special operation in the Mirabad district of Tashkent, the administrator of these resources—an 18-year-old native of the Fergana region—was detained. Physical evidence was seized, a criminal case has been opened, and an investigation is underway.

Law enforcement reminds that the sale of goods confiscated from illegal circulation and transferred to the state by court decision is carried out exclusively through the State Customs Service. Citizens are urged to be vigilant and not trust suspiciously profitable offers on social networks.

This is not the first such case: previously in Uzbekistan, creators of fake Telegram channels trading in 'confiscated' goods have been detained.

Source: podrobno.uz