According to him, the perpetrators use targeted advertising on social media to attract victims. While being outside the country, they pay for advertisements on Kyrgyz platforms, promising high-paying jobs in the UK and Germany with salaries ranging from $6,000 to $7,000 — amounts that even local residents do not earn. The activity of such fraudulent schemes noticeably increases at times when government agencies officially send citizens to work abroad, he added.
It is possible to recover funds only if the transfer was made within the country through the interbank system, which allows the Ministry of Internal Affairs to take necessary actions. However, if the fraudster is abroad, the options for local law enforcement agencies are limited, and victims have to turn to Interpol to resolve their issues.
Last year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs took 78 measures against illegal agencies operating in the republic. Punishment for the illegal employment of citizens abroad includes administrative fines: up to 55,000 soms for legal entities and up to 15,000 soms for individuals. Organizing illegal migration is subject to criminal penalties in the form of imprisonment for a term of one to three years, he said.
