Tengrinews.kz - Residents of the West Kazakhstan region lost 100 million tenge in just one month after falling victim to phone scammers, according to Polisia.kz.
Elderly citizens were particularly targeted, losing over 11 million tenge. Fraudsters called pensioners, posing as mobile operators and bank representatives.
"The callers informed them that their SIM card had expired and needed to be renewed by providing a code received via Aitu_Pass," the report stated.
Shortly after, another scammer would call, pretending to be a bank employee and warning that a loan was being fraudulently taken out in the victim’s name.
"As a result, the scammers gained access to their deposits, defrauding pensioners of over 11 million tenge," the statement added.
One notable case involved a married couple in the Bayterek district. Over three days, scammers gained their trust through repeated video calls and detailed financial instructions. The fraudsters first convinced the husband to transfer 47,250 tenge as an initial step in a supposed debt repayment scheme. Eventually, the couple took out loans and transferred more money, losing over 9 million tenge.
Authorities urge citizens to remain vigilant, avoid sharing personal information, and report suspicious calls to the police immediately.
Previously, Astana's Department of the Financial Monitoring Agency shut down the financial pyramid scheme Happy Life KZ.