State Security Service operatives have dismantled a covert criminal syndicate that allegedly operated a fake call center in the Mirabad district of Tashkent, embezzling roughly 8 million dollars from local citizens. The elaborate scheme highlights significant challenges in combating modern financial crimes in the region.

According to investigative reports, five individuals aged 21 to 37 from Tashkent and the surrounding region rented non-residential premises to set up the fraudulent operation. Another accomplice reportedly installed GSM gateway devices in a separate apartment to maintain seamless telecommunication links for the network. The enterprise was allegedly directed by a 47-year-old previously convicted resident of the Tashkent region.

Most concerningly, the criminal ring purportedly included an active employee from the cybersecurity department of a major commercial bank's head office. The suspects routinely impersonated bank representatives, falsely informing victims that third parties were attempting to secure unauthorized loans in their names, thereby tricking them into surrendering sensitive plastic card credentials.

The stolen funds, alongside illicit online loans issued in the victims' names, were allegedly converted into cryptocurrency and funneled abroad through dummy corporate entities to achieve legalization. Authorities have initiated a formal criminal case, with preliminary investigations already identifying at least 10 individuals connected to the network.

Source: www.gazeta.uz