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Tengrinews.kz - Suspicious banking transactions amounting to nearly 1.5 billion tenge have been blocked in Kazakhstan, according to the National Bank of Kazakhstan.
The fraudulent transactions were identified by the National Bank's Anti-Fraud Center.
"In six months of operation, the platform registered 17,802 incidents, resulting in the timely blocking of around 1.5 billion tenge, including 1.1 billion tenge on the sender's bank side and 343.4 million tenge on the recipient's bank side. A total of 88.9 million tenge was voluntarily returned to victims," the statement reads.
According to the regulator, the most common fraud schemes were:
- Phone scams – 26.2% of all incidents
- Fake investment schemes – 19.5%
- Fraud via social media and messaging apps – 15.9%
"Recently, there has been an increase in public inquiries to the National Bank regarding the blocking of their bank accounts. The National Bank reminds that the Anti-Fraud Center does not have the authority to decide on adding or removing individuals from databases, nor does it block bank accounts or payment cards," the statement clarifies.
Under Kazakhstani law, financial institutions can suspend transactions and freeze funds in cases of suspected fraud. Such decisions are made based on customer complaints or information from law enforcement agencies.
"Banks can independently suspend transactions when detecting suspicious activity," the statement adds.
Decisions to include individuals in the Anti-Fraud Center's database are made by financial institutions and law enforcement agencies. Restrictions can only be lifted by law enforcement decisions. Citizens affected by these measures are advised to contact their servicing bank to obtain information about the relevant law enforcement authority handling their case and the procedure for lifting restrictions.
Previously, the National Bank warned citizens about new tactics used by criminals to gain access to personal data and bank accounts of Kazakhstanis.
