It has been revealed that a group was identified that used hundreds of mobile numbers to deceive citizens, posing as employees of banks and government institutions. Their actions were based on a well-thought-out strategy that included social engineering, psychological pressure, and mass registration of SIM cards.
Two incidents have been identified:
- The first incident occurred on January 19, 2026, when a resident of Osh received a phone call from individuals who introduced themselves as bank employees. They informed him that unknown persons were attempting to obtain a loan in his name. Under the pretext of needing protection from illegal actions, they demanded that the man provide an SMS code. Then, other individuals joined the conversation, claiming to be law enforcement officers. As a result, 856,000 soms were withdrawn from the victim's account.
- In the second case, on February 9-10, 2026, a similar scheme was used to deceive another citizen. The criminal first contacted him via messenger posing as a telecommunications operator employee, followed by calls from people claiming to be employees of the state system "Tündük," law enforcement agencies, and the National Bank.
The victim was provided with false information that his funds were allegedly involved in illegal operations and needed to be "secured" urgently. As a result of psychological pressure, he transferred 3,566,000 soms. The total damage from these fraudulent actions amounted to over 4 million soms.
These actions have been classified under Article 209 of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic as "Fraud." During operational investigative activities, it was determined that the suspects activated about 300 SIM cards.
The fraudsters made mass calls through two messengers, posing as employees of the State National Security Committee, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Bank, the state system "Tündük," and commercial banks to mislead citizens and create a sense of threat.
Methods of deception:
• information about fictitious loans;
• messages about "transferring funds abroad";
• accusations of financing banned organizations;
• notifications about the blocking of bank safes;
• requests for urgent transfers of funds to a "safe account".
Who was detained?
As a result of investigative activities, the identities of the suspects were established: they are residents of the Kara-Suu district, T.A. (born in 2006) and K.Y. (born in 2004). They were placed in a temporary detention facility. For a comprehensive investigation, searches were conducted in their homes in the Kara-Suu district.
What was found during the searches:
• 5 mobile phones;
• SIM cards from various operators;
• electronic data storage devices.
Judicial technical and computer examinations have been conducted. Phone connections, messenger correspondence, internet activity, and financial transactions are being checked. The investigative authorities are also examining the possible involvement of the detainees in other cases of fraud.
