In the first 11 months of 2025, cybercriminals stole nearly 2 trillion soums from the bank cards of Uzbek citizens, according to a 22-year-old convict serving time for such crimes in an interview with Kun.uz.

The convict stated he had been interested in programming and joined one of these groups at age 16. In 2022, he received a link to a video exposing their operations. The group had about 400 members, 8 administrators, and regular workers. They created phishing sites mimicking popular apps and used schemes like 'you won money' or 'money is being transferred to you.'

Victims entered their card details, which were then captured by the criminals. The money was cashed out or transferred abroad. The convict claimed that personal data of up to 500,000 people out of Uzbekistan's 38 million population was collected and sold in closed invitation-only groups.

The number of victims is countless, he said. 'When I was caught, it didn't stop. It won't stop because there is another in my place, and a third after him.' He expressed remorse: 'I enjoyed easy money, but now I'm ashamed. I returned the money where possible. It's not worth even one day of freedom.'

He fears that victims' curses may affect his family. The only way to stop cybercrime, he believes, is public vigilance: 'If people don't give away their data, money will never be taken from their cards.'

Source: kun.uz