A Tashkent scammer has stolen over 550 million soums from the bank cards of more than 1,000 Uzbek citizens. The man posed as an employee of a large company specializing in the sale of household appliances. He convinced his victims that they had supposedly won free televisions and air conditioners in a promotional campaign. However, to claim their «prize,» all they needed to do was confirm the delivery by sending a code that was sent to their phone.

The story began to unfold after a resident of the Samarkand region reported to the police that 7.3 million soums had disappeared from his bank card. During an investigation, cyber security officers discovered that the crime was committed by a resident of Tashkent.

The scammer showed cunning and creativity in organizing an elaborate criminal scheme. He would call his victims, introduce himself as an employee of the Lamifarm company, and inform them that they had won a television and an air conditioner. To receive these «prizes,» the scammer requested a payment of 200,000 soums for delivery and asked for a code that was sent to the victim’s phone through the Payme application. Once he received the code, the scammer would immediately transfer the victim’s money to his own card and then block the victim’s number to avoid further contact.

This case turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg. Further investigation revealed that the scammer had created an account called CALL CENTER in Telegram, through which he deceived more than 1,000 people, stealing a total of 550 million soums from their accounts.

A criminal case has been initiated against the scammer under Article 168 (Fraud) of the Criminal Code. He faces one of the following punishments: a fine ranging from three hundred to four hundred base calculation amounts (from 102 million to 136 million soums), corrective labor for a period of two to three years, or imprisonment for a term of five to eight years.

This case serves as a reminder to be extremely cautious when dealing with unknown individuals, especially in financial transactions. If you receive a suspicious call or message asking for a code from a banking app, immediately end the conversation and contact law enforcement. Your actions could prevent theft and help catch the perpetrators.

The text has been translated by AI. For more accurate information, please refer to the Russian version of the article.