Who will repay stolen funds as Humans app faces growing scandal?

A wave of unauthorized withdrawals linked to the Humans mobile application has sparked public concern in Uzbekistan, with affected users reporting losses ranging from several million to nearly UZS 100 million and demanding clarity over who will compensate the stolen funds.

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The controversy intensified in early December, when between December 4 and 8 large sums of money were withdrawn from bank cards connected to the Humans app. According to affected users, the transactions were carried out without SMS confirmation codes. Many victims say they have yet to receive clear explanations from either Humans representatives or regulatory authorities regarding reimbursement.

In recent months, complaints involving Humans have increased sharply. During the December incident alone, hundreds of users reported unauthorized withdrawals from their plastic cards. Several victims who contacted Kun.uz said they lost substantial amounts of money and remain frustrated by what they describe as a lack of timely and concrete responses from the company and oversight bodies.

One victim, Ibragim Salakhov, said the withdrawals from his card began overnight on December 8. He reported that four transactions of UZS 5 million were carried out within short intervals, followed by multiple withdrawals of UZS 1 million. Although UZS 1 million was briefly returned to his card, a total of UZS 23 million was ultimately withdrawn. According to Salakhov, the transactions began around midnight and continued until 8:30 a.m.

Another affected user, Khayrulla Kosimov, said the unauthorized withdrawals started on December 5. On December 6 at 12:13 p.m., UZS 804,000 was withdrawn from his card. He said he received a notification but no SMS confirmation code, only a record of the transaction through the Humans app. After calling emergency services and reviewing the company’s Instagram page, he realized many others had been affected and later created a Telegram group called “Stop Humans,” which rapidly gained members on December 7–8.

Ilhom Niyozkulov reported that his card held UZS 12.75 million, of which UZS 12.238 million was withdrawn in 16 attempts starting at 6:23 p.m. on December 6. Another victim, Anvar Mamadullaev, said that nearly UZS 700,000 was withdrawn from his card on December 6 without his knowledge, followed by two withdrawals of UZS 5.024 million each after midnight on December 8 while he was asleep. He said no SMS alerts or confirmation codes were sent and insisted he had not installed any malicious software. The total amount withdrawn from his card was about UZS 11.74 million.

Jahongir Ahmedov, another complainant, said UZS 4.6 million was withdrawn from his card. He added that he had filed complaints with the PGO and the internal affairs bodies over alleged cybercrime but had not received any response.

In one previously reported case involving losses approaching UZS 100 million, an audio recording of a conversation with a Humans operator revealed that the company’s call center cited “ongoing technical work” and instructed the customer to submit screenshots, personal details, and card information. According to the operator, applications would be reviewed within seven days.

Victims say they linked their plastic cards to the Humans app because of incentives for card-to-card transfers and because transfers to Humans SIM cards were reportedly possible only through the application.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that criminal cases are being opened separately for each complaint under Article 169, Part 3, Clause “b” of the Criminal Code, which covers theft committed through illegal access to or use of information systems.

Earlier, Humans and the Paylov payment service issued statements blaming each other for the disappearance of funds. The Central Bank announced that a serious investigation had been launched and advised affected users to file formal complaints with law enforcement agencies.