Fake online clothing store in Tashkent region defrauded citizens of over UZS 100 million

A fraudulent scheme disguised as an online clothing store was uncovered in Tashkent region during the “Safe Cyberspace” month-long operational and preventive campaign, the regional Department of Internal Affairs reported.

Investigators found that four citizens created fake Instagram and Telegram pages posing as sellers of men’s clothing at low prices. They asked customers to transfer advance payments to bank cards registered in the names of third parties, then appropriated the funds and spent them for personal needs.

On 11 June, a resident of Tashkent district transferred UZS 1 million to the account in an attempt to make a purchase. Shortly after, the correspondence was deleted, and the suspects stopped responding.

A preliminary investigation revealed that over the past month, the group had fraudulently obtained more than UZS 101 million using 279 bank cards belonging to citizens.

A criminal case has been opened against the suspects under Part 3 of Article 168 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (fraud). The investigation is ongoing.

The Department of Internal Affairs of Tashkent region urged citizens not to send advance payments when shopping online and not to fall for suspicious offers with unusually low prices.