Secret offices uncovered in Almaty: 29 suspects under investigation

Tengrinews.kz - A large-scale special operation in Almaty has uncovered two offices involved in massive internet fraud, citing Polisia.kz.

As a result of joint actions by Almaty police, the Department for Combating Cybercrime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the city prosecutor's office, authorities discovered call centers where employees defrauded victims under the pretext of withdrawing "frozen" deposits from bank accounts in South Asian countries. The operations were overseen by a foreign national.

"The main role of the call center staff was managing the flow of money into drop accounts, which were used to transfer funds to other accounts designated by the fraud organizers. The transfers were conducted through various payment systems. Additionally, during office searches, more than 100 system units used for processing financial transactions were seized. One of the suspects was detained at Almaty International Airport while attempting to leave Kazakhstan," said Anes Kaldybayev, head of Almaty's Department for Combating Cybercrime.

Investigations revealed that the office employees were recruited online. Interviews and training were conducted by the office supervisor, who instructed new hires on processing fund withdrawal requests via P2P payments. Employees were prohibited from using personal mobile phones and strictly followed secrecy protocols.

The investigation is ongoing. Three individuals have been taken into custody, while 26 others remain under investigation.

Previously, foreign nationals in possession of cybercrime equipment were detained in Kazakhstan.