Uzbekistan’s cybercrime crisis: How scammers steal millions and evade capture

Cyber fraud is increasingly prevalent in Uzbekistan, with some schemes so sophisticated that victims are unable to recover their lost assets or funds, and even authorities are unable to provide assistance.

A closer examination of the most common fraud schemes reveals how criminals illegally transfer money out of the country. During the summer months, individuals frequently rent cottages for leisure, often browsing online advertisement platforms or Telegram groups to find available properties. Many make partial payments to secure bookings, only to fall victim to fraudulent schemes.

Jahongir Sadullaev, Deputy Head of the Tashkent City MDIA’s Department for Combating Cybercrime, provided details to Kun.uz:

"Last winter, fraudsters created a Telegram channel advertising 'cottages for rent.' They used images of real cottages from other sources and posted fraudulent listings. Some individuals contacted them, with all communication taking place exclusively on Telegram. The fraudsters set a rental price of 8 million UZS per day and arranged a three-day booking, requesting an 8 million UZS deposit. After receiving the payment via bank transfer, they deleted their accounts and disappeared."

Victims reported the scam to law enforcement, prompting an investigation. However, authorities discovered that the bank cards used were fraudulent and had been registered via electronic wallets. Since the crime was orchestrated from outside Uzbekistan, identifying the perpetrators proved impossible.

Sadullaev noted that in many cases, timely investigations reveal that a significant number of these fraudulent operations are conducted from abroad. Stolen funds are transferred overseas through electronic wallets, with a considerable portion of such schemes originating from Russia, Ukraine, and other European countries.

In 2024, a new type of cyber fraud emerged in Uzbekistan. Fraudsters call victims, speaking in Russian, and introduce themselves as officers from law enforcement or the prosecutor’s office. They claim that the victim’s assets or bank cards are under cyberattack and must be temporarily transferred to official law enforcement accounts for protection. They assure victims that their funds will be returned once the threat is neutralized. In some cases, fraudsters even take out loans in the victim’s name during the process.

"Here’s how the scheme works: Fraudsters call from Uzbek phone numbers, introduce themselves as officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Security Service, or the Prosecutor’s Office. They convince victims that their assets or funds are at risk of being stolen by third parties. To 'protect' the money, they claim that law enforcement agencies need to temporarily transfer it to special accounts. Victims comply, believing they will get their money back once the fraudsters are caught," Sadullaev explained.

He added that this form of fraud evolved from earlier schemes in which scammers posed as bank employees to steal money from plastic cards. The "law enforcement officer" fraud represents the second stage of this trend and has become increasingly widespread.

"Just yesterday, we recorded another case of this type of fraud. A victim suffered a loss of nearly 130 million UZS. The fraudster posed as an investigator and even took out a loan in the victim’s name. When we asked the victim whether they were aware of such scams, they replied, 'Yes, I knew.' When we asked why they fell for it despite knowing, they said, 'I was driving and in a hurry, so I provided the requested information.’”

According to a representative from the Tashkent City Main Department of Internal Affairs, fraud cases involving criminals impersonating bank or law enforcement officials account for 3.2% of all cybercrimes, affecting more than 300 victims. Unfortunately, none of these fraudsters have been caught yet.

When Kun.uz inquired about possible solutions, Sadullaev stated that investigating such crimes takes time and that Uzbekistan is studying international approaches to combating cybercrime. He also noted that a department for combating cybercrime has been established within the Tashkent City Main Department of Internal Affairs and that similar units will soon be set up in regional offices. Additionally, Uzbekistan is strengthening cooperation with countries such as South Korea, China, and Saudi Arabia to address the issue.

"I can confidently say that within the next two years, we will be able to completely eliminate external threats and attacks on our systems," Sadullaev stated.

For comparison, in 2019, Tashkent recorded only 113 cybercrime cases, whereas by 2024, the number had skyrocketed to 17,468 — an increase of 154 times in six years.

Ultimately, the most effective solution to this problem is improving public awareness and cyber literacy.