A group of men is suspected of defrauding 456 individuals out of more than 1 billion soums, according to the Cybersecurity Center of the Interior Ministry.
Preliminary data indicates that the scheme was organized by a 33-year-old native of the Khorezm province. He created a phishing website mimicking the Single Portal of Interactive Governmental Services (my.gov.uz) and launched Instagram advertisements promising fake government compensations and social benefits. To gain the trust of victims, the fraudsters also used the name "Moliya Vazirligi" (Ministry of Finance).
Users were promised automatic payouts of approximately 30 million soums directly to their bank cards. To receive the money, people were prompted to visit the fraudulent website, fill out a questionnaire, and input their bank card details. Instead of receiving the promised funds, victims unwittingly granted the group access to their accounts, allowing the scammers to steal their money.
The investigation revealed that young individuals aged 20 to 24 were also recruited into the operation. They obtained and handed over 293 "drop cards" to the criminal group, which were registered under the names of 26 different individuals. The stolen funds were initially transferred to these cards and subsequently converted into cryptocurrency for laundering.
Criminal cases have been opened against the suspects under Article 168 (Fraud) and Article 278-6 (Creation, Use, or Distribution of Malicious Programs) of the Criminal Code. The investigation is ongoing.
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