According to information from law enforcement agencies, a group of criminals has been identified, using hundreds of phone numbers to deceive citizens by posing as employees of banks and government institutions. The fraudsters operated according to a pre-prepared scheme, employing social engineering techniques and psychological pressure, as well as mass registration of SIM cards.
Two cases of fraud have been identified:
- The first case occurred on January 19, 2026, when a resident of Osh received a call from fraudsters posing as bank employees. The callers informed him that an attempt was being made to issue a loan in his name. Under the pretext of preventing criminal activities, they extorted an SMS code from the man. Later, individuals claiming to be law enforcement officers joined the conversation. As a result, 856,000 soms were stolen from the victim's bank account.
- In the second case, which took place on February 9-10, 2026, the fraudster first contacted the victim via messenger, posing as an employee of a telecommunications operator. This was followed by calls from individuals identifying themselves as representatives of the "Tündük" system, law enforcement agencies, and the National Bank. The victim was informed that his funds could be used in illegal operations and needed to be "protected" urgently. Under pressure, he transferred 3,566,000 soms. The total amount of damage from both episodes exceeded 4 million soms.
The actions of the criminals have been classified under Article 209 of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic ("Fraud"). During operational activities, it was established that the suspects activated about 300 SIM cards.
Calls to citizens were made through two messengers. The fraudsters posed as employees of the State National Security Committee, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Bank, and commercial banks, creating false situations of threat.
Methods of deception:
• information about non-existent loans;
• messages about "transfers of funds abroad";
• accusations of financing banned organizations;
• information about the blocking of bank accounts;
• demands for urgent transfer of funds to a "protected account".
Who has been detained?
During the investigative actions, the identities of the suspects were established; they turned out to be residents of the Kara-Suu district — T.A., born in 2006, and K.Ya., born in 2004. The detainees have been placed in a temporary detention facility. For a comprehensive and objective investigation, searches were conducted at their place of residence in the Kara-Suu district.
During the searches, the following were found:
• 5 mobile phones;
• SIM cards from various operators;
• devices for storing electronic information.
Judicial technical and computer examinations have been appointed. Checks are being conducted on phone connections, correspondence in messengers, internet activity, and the movement of funds. Investigative authorities are also examining the connection of the detainees to other cases of fraud.
