The State Security Service (SSS) reported that the operation was carried out by its department for Syrdarya region in cooperation with the regional police department.
According to the agency, five suspects born between 1989 and 2005 and living in Tashkent city and Tashkent region rented a commercial property in the capital’s Mirobod district and set up a fake call center. Another suspect, also born in 1989, allegedly installed an unauthorized GSM gateway in a rented apartment to facilitate the operation.
The group was allegedly led by a Tashkent region resident born in 1979 who had previously been convicted.
The suspects reportedly called people while posing as representatives of various banks. They warned potential victims that fraudsters were attempting to take out loans in their names, using the claims to obtain their personal information. The group then allegedly used the information to access victims’ bank cards, steal their money and take out online loans in their names.
Investigators say the group transferred $8 million in illicit proceeds abroad using cryptocurrency and a fictitious limited liability company to conceal the origin of the funds. The country to which the money was transferred has not been disclosed.
A criminal case has been opened, and 10 people suspected of involvement in the scheme have been identified. Authorities have not named the bank involved or disclosed how many people may have been affected.
