Law enforcement agencies in Tashkent have reportedly dismantled an organized criminal group that allegedly engaged in systematic financial fraud by posing as bank representatives, stealing citizens' funds, and illegally issuing online loans in their names. The investigation purportedly revealed that the criminal network included an active employee from the cybersecurity department of a major commercial bank's headquarters, highlighting severe vulnerabilities within institutional security frameworks.
The crackdown was carried out through joint operational and search activities conducted by the Syrdarya Region Department of the State Security Service and the regional Internal Affairs Department. Authorities established that five individuals born between 1989 and 2005, residing in Tashkent city and the Tashkent region, rented a non-residential premise in the Mirabad district to establish a sophisticated underground call center.
Additionally, another individual born in 1989 allegedly installed an illegal GSM-gateway device in the rented apartment to facilitate the fraudulent communication operations. The criminal enterprise was supposedly headed by a previously convicted individual born in 1979 from the Tashkent region, who allegedly coordinated the group's daily illicit activities.
The suspects reportedly utilized advanced social engineering tactics, calling citizens while impersonating various financial institutions and falsely claiming that fraudsters were attempting to secure loans in the victims' names. Under this pretext, they allegedly harvested confidential personal data, drained bank accounts, and saddled victims with heavy unauthorized online loans. *
According to preliminary disclosures, a staggering total of 8 million US dollars acquired through these criminal activities was allegedly converted into cryptocurrency and laundered abroad via fictitious limited liability companies. A criminal case has been initiated, and preliminary investigations have identified 10 individuals linked to the scheme, though specific bank names and destination countries for the funds remain undisclosed.
Source: kun.uz