Translated with AI
In Tashkent, law enforcement agencies have disrupted the activities of a large criminal network suspected of cyberfraud. According to preliminary reports, the group's members solicited investment opportunities from residents of Europe and North America for supposedly high-yield investment and cryptocurrency projects, after which they appropriated their funds. This was reported by UzNews.uz, citing the State Security Service press service.
The operation was carried out by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service of Uzbekistan as part of the “Safe and Healthy Country” campaign.
Investigators established that young people fluent in foreign languages, including students from prestigious universities, were recruited to carry out the fraudulent scheme. Each operator made hundreds of phone calls daily to foreign citizens.
During an operation in Tashkent, two large call centers were uncovered. On the sixth floor of a business center in the Yashnabad district, law enforcement officers discovered 97 people, five of whom were foreign citizens.
The second call center operated on the 11th floor of a business center in the Yakkasaray district. Thirty-four people worked there, including three foreign citizens.
According to the investigation, the call centers had a clear internal structure, including managers, organizers, assistants, team leaders, and operators.
The group members created phishing links promising potential clients profits of up to 70% per month. Using spoofed phone numbers, the operators called residents of Canada, the UK, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other countries.
Posing as traders, they convinced their interlocutors to transfer crypto assets, supposedly for investment in profitable projects.
Upon hiring, employees were specifically trained to adhere to strict secrecy rules. Operators used pseudonyms when communicating with foreign clients. Access to the offices was strictly controlled, and security guards were constantly posted at the entrances.
During the special operation, law enforcement agencies seized hundreds of computers, mobile phones, hard drives, safes, and other equipment.
According to investigators, the scheme was organized by a foreign citizen who carried out illegal activities jointly with an Uzbek citizen. Both suspected leaders of the criminal group have been arrested.
Eight more key suspects involved in the call center activities have also been detained. Ten more people have been remanded in custody.
Operational search and investigative measures are being carried out in relation to the remaining 111 people.
A criminal case has been opened on this incident. Investigative actions are ongoing.
Currently, requests to countries in Europe and North America are being prepared through the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Central Bureau of Interpol.
