Operatives from the State Security Service and internal affairs agencies have reportedly dismantled a sophisticated criminal syndicate that operated a fraudulent call center using illegal GSM gateways to siphon funds abroad. Law enforcement officials claim the enterprise was structured to systematically target citizens through digital deception.

According to investigators, five residents of Tashkent and the Tashkent region, aged between 21 and 37, allegedly rented a non-residential property in the capital's Mirabad district to run the underground call center. An additional associate reportedly secured a separate residential space specifically to house a GSM gateway network designed to facilitate illicit communications.

The criminal operation was allegedly spearheaded by a 47-year-old previously convicted resident of the Tashkent region. Most concerningly, investigators noted that the conspiracy purportedly included an active cybersecurity specialist working within the head office of a major commercial bank.

The syndicate members reportedly contacted citizens while impersonating bank security personnel, falsely claiming that scammers were attempting to secure unauthorized loans in the victims' names. By gathering sensitive personal data, the perpetrators allegedly emptied bank accounts and independently initiated fresh online loans.

Authorities estimate that the group managed to misappropriate roughly $8 million, which was subsequently laundered through dummy corporate entities and converted into cryptocurrency before being transferred overseas. A criminal case has been officially launched, with an additional ten individuals currently facing scrutiny for alleged involvement.

Source: uznews.uz