Law enforcement officers in Tashkent have shut down two fraudulent call centers, the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
The operations occupied entire floors of business buildings located in the Yashnabad and Yakkasaray districts. The facilities employed 131 people, including eight foreign nationals. Investigation bodies allege that the scam rings were organized by a foreign national and an Uzbek man. Alongside the masterminds, 10 other individuals suspected of managing the daily office operations have been arrested.
The call center employees contacted residents of Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, and other countries. Posing as financial traders, they enticed victims to invest in cryptocurrency by promising returns of up to 70% per month. The syndicates then used phishing links and stolen bank card credentials to siphon away the victims' money.
The call centers primarily recruited tech-savvy youth fluent in foreign languages, including students from prestigious local universities. During the raids, authorities seized 136 laptops, 73 system units, 53 all-in-one computers, 320 smartphones, 128 hard drives, and 175 storage devices. The Ministry stated that it is currently coordinating with law enforcement agencies across Europe and North America through Interpol to identify victims and establish the full scope of the case.
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