Trial opens in Tashkent against “work and travel” fraud suspects

The trial opened in Tashkent against representatives of American Adventure, accused of defrauding people under the guise of overseas employment. The case is being heard at the Yunusabad District Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Umidbek Musaev.

The defendants are company director Azimjon Najmiddinov and Bekzod Mahmudov, who allegedly worked informally at the firm. However, Mahmudov was absent at the hearing – one of the victims claimed he had fled abroad.

Earlier, Kun.uz had reported on the company, when several citizens shared how they were deceived and denied refunds.

At the September 4 hearing, about ten victims gave testimony.

According to the victims, the company promised to arrange employment in the U.S. under the “work and travel” program, secure embassy appointments, provide health insurance, and ensure other services.

Clients paid up to $3,400 for these services. If a U.S. embassy rejected a visa application, the company retained up to $500 for the interview arrangement and was supposed to refund the remaining amount – a commitment that was not fulfilled.

Several victims testified that they primarily dealt with a man named Afzal when signing contracts and making payments.

One victim recounted:

“In January 2023, a friend recommended the ‘work and travel’ program through American Adventure. At their office, Afzal told me the fee was $3,400, but if I paid in full immediately, I would get a $500 discount. On February 1, I paid $2,900. They promised to handle all documents until the embassy interview. The contract stipulated that if this was not fulfilled, the money would be returned by the end of 2023. I applied for a job in March, received a job offer in May, but two weeks later Afzal told me I was rejected.

“I suspected the interview was fake. Applications were supposedly submitted for different states – I applied for Las Vegas, others for Florida – yet the same ‘employer’ interviewed all of us. It seemed staged. Later Afzal suggested going through the Philippines or China for $1,000–1,500 to get to the U.S., but I refused and demanded my money back. He promised a refund by the end of 2023, but by January 2024 the office was closed and Afzal disappeared from Telegram.”

Another victim said they also paid $2,900 and were interviewed online via Telegram. They were shown job lists in different U.S. states in PDF, Excel, and Word files. Later, they were told embassy appointment slots were unavailable, and were given two options – try through another country or cancel and request a refund. The victim chose a refund but never received the money.

A third victim testified that he was a third-year university student when he applied:

“I paid UZS 32.7 million for myself and another UZS 32 million for my sister. They promised to find jobs and secure an embassy appointment. They gave us a list of U.S. states and had us select one. Later, we had an online interview with someone introduced as an employer, but no job offers or contracts followed. They also failed to secure embassy slots. Eventually, I received only UZS 12 million of my payment back.”

Victims said company representatives claimed the money had been sent to Slovenia and could not be easily returned. They were promised refunds in December, but nothing changed. Some testified they paid in cash in U.S. dollars and received signed receipts from Afzal.

During the hearing, defendant Azimjon Najmiddinov remained silent while listening to the victims’ statements. The next court session is scheduled for September 10.