Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Authorities have shut down the operations of a fraudulent call center located on the fourth floor of a residential building in Tashkent’s Shaykhantahur district, the press service of the Tashkent Regional Police Department said.
According to the agency, a native of the Ferghana region identified as D. Kh. and his accomplices called citizens and told them they had allegedly won prizes in various promotions.
The suspects then asked the victims to transfer “payment for the gift” to accounts belonging to individual entrepreneurs. The funds were to be taken from a credit or microloan limit issued in the victim’s name. The fraudsters promised that the household appliances they had allegedly won would be delivered later.
Members of the group also registered as product suppliers on a trading platform. In some cases, citizens who demanded delivery of the promised products or lodged complaints were sent cheap, low-quality or incorrect goods.
This approach allowed the suspects to divert the victims’ attention before appropriating the credit or microloan funds made available to them. In many cases, communication with the victims ceased completely after the money was transferred.
Five operators worked at the fraudulent call center. They called hundreds of citizens, posing as employees of fictitious online stores that promoted their services through social media.
According to preliminary data, the group illegally obtained more than 300 million soums from more than 110 citizens.
During an operation, law enforcement officers seized 10 sets of computer equipment, eight mobile phones, citizens’ personal data and other documents as material evidence.
Authorities are currently examining the possible involvement of the group members in similar cases in other regions. Initial investigative and operational-search measures are continuing to establish all the circumstances of the case and compensate for the damage caused.
