In Kyrgyzstan, the illegal activities of a group of individuals who were involved in activating accounts in mobile messengers such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Lalafo using phone numbers from local mobile operators have been terminated. This was reported by the press service of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) of Kyrgyzstan.
According to the agency, members of this group also acted as "drop points," attracting citizens of Kyrgyzstan to sell their bank cards. These cards and accounts were then resold to international fraudsters via Telegram, who used them to conduct voice phishing schemes aimed at deceiving citizens and seizing their funds.
The fraudsters, posing as employees of the GKNB and the National Bank, as well as other government officials, called citizens and accused them of connections to terrorist organizations, threatening criminal prosecution for financing such organizations. According to the GKNB, the group sent letters with fake letterheads and signatures, accusing the victims of involvement in financing terrorism.
As a result of the conducted operations, GKNB employees detained the following individuals:
- A.B.N., born on 19.02.2008, (detained in IK-14 in the village of Voznesenovka, Panfilov district, Chui region for two months);
- A.Э.K., born on 09.07.2006, (placed in SIZO-1 in Bishkek for two months);
- R.Ш.K., born on 22.05.1999, (previously convicted multiple times under Article 204 of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic "fraud"), (placed in GKNB SIZO for two months);
- Ж.К.Р., born on 12.11.2001, (previously convicted under Articles 201 "robbery," 209 "fraud," 200 "theft" of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, etc.), (placed in GKNB SIZO for two months);
- Т.Б.Ш., born on 12.02.2009, (released under parental obligations);
- A.у.С., born on 30.04.2004, (previously convicted under Article 130 "murder" and involved as a defendant under Article 204 "fraud" of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic), (placed in GKNB SIZO for two months);
- A.A.A., born on 24.09.2008, (released under parental obligations);
- К.И., born on 18.07.2009, (released under parental obligations);
- Дж.С.А., born on 01.06.1996, (placed in SIZO-1 in Bishkek for two months).
Currently, the GKNB continues investigative actions to identify other accomplices of telephone fraudsters in the country and to bring them to justice.
