Left the doctor — scammers called. Minister asked about data leaks of Kazakhstan citizens

Tengrinews.kz– Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev commented on complaints from Kazakhstan citizens about the increasing number of scam calls. Suspicious calls began coming to citizens immediately after visiting clinics.

What happened

The callers introduce themselves as doctors and ask for a code, after which messages appear about approved loans. One Kazakhstan woman gave an example: her 77-year-old mother received a call from a scammer pretending to be a doctor. The pensioner was not suspicious because the call came immediately after leaving the clinic. The “doctor” asked the woman to say the code sent to her phone. Immediately after that, bank notifications began arriving about loans that had supposedly been issued. According to the daughter, she managed to intervene in time.

The Ministry of Health reported that there are currently no confirmed cases of hacking or unauthorized access that would allow tracking patient visits in real time.

“We are ready to investigate,” the minister said

Today, journalists asked Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev about this situation on the sidelines of the Senate.

He said he could not confirm such information because his ministry had not recorded any official data leaks from the Ministry of Health databases.

“I am not aware of such cases. If they really exist, we are ready to investigate. If a complaint from a citizen is submitted through e-Otinish, we conduct the necessary checks immediately. We urge all citizens to follow cyber hygiene recommendations. If you receive calls from scammers, in most cases they contact people through messengers such as WhatsApp and via the internet. When receiving such calls, you need to be careful, as these may be fraudulent actions,” the vice prime minister added.

According to Madiyev, the Ministry of Health information systems were inspected last year. Some individuals were held responsible for violations. Recommendations were issued and a corrective action plan was developed. As the vice prime minister added, the “fraud industry” is actively developing not only in Kazakhstan but around the world, so citizens need to learn cyber hygiene themselves.

Journalists also asked whether the ministry plans to introduce criminal liability for the distribution of personal data. Madiyev replied that the relevant amendments are currently in Parliament and will be discussed soon.

Earlier it was reported that Kazakhstan is considering introducing criminal liability for mass leaks of personal data. It is also planned to increase fines for such crimes — up to 21.6 million tenge.