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Uzbek
The residents of Uzbekistan have always been filled with hope and belief in miracles. Unfortunately, this belief has become the breeding ground for numerous fraudulent schemes that deceive people by promising easy and quick money. Financial pyramids, enticing investment projects, and even blatant scams – all these schemes thrive thanks to naivety and a desperate hope for a better future. And despite high-profile exposures and media articles, many of our compatriots continue to fall into the traps of fraudsters.
Belief in Miracles: Cultural Heritage and Modern Realities
In our country, there exists a special belief in miracles, reminiscent of the field of wonders from “The Golden Key,” where Alice the Fox and Basilio the Cat led Pinocchio. This belief is unlikely to be based on reality; rather, it is associated with the degrading level of education and the impoverishment of the population.
People, seeing beautiful pictures on TV and wealthy individuals driving expensive cars, begin to dream of such a luxurious life. Bloggers, showcasing their luxurious lives on social media, also fuel this dream. As a result, when Uzbeks are offered to invest a little money and do nothing, they easily believe in the possibility of getting rich quickly.
Fraudsters skillfully manipulate people’s hopes and dreams. They speak of incredible earnings requiring no effort. Promises of million-dollar incomes usually sound too good to be true, but it is precisely this simplicity and ease that attract people. Seeing expensive cars and luxurious homes, people feel a strong social inequality. They also want access to this world of luxury and well-being and are ready to believe any fairy tales told by fraudsters.
Main Fraud Schemes
Fraudsters use several main ways to take money from gullible citizens:
- Financial Pyramids: People are promised huge profits with minimal investments. For example, invest $100 and get $1000 in a month. Such schemes eventually collapse, leaving investors with nothing.
- False Investment Projects: Promises of high returns from supposedly successful businesses or startups. Fraudsters create the appearance of a successful business and then disappear with the investors’ money.
- Fake Charitable Funds: Fraudsters create fake charitable organizations and collect money under the pretext of helping those in need.
- Phone and Internet Scams: Calls from supposed representatives of banks or government institutions asking for personal information or money transfers to resolve some “issues.”
Why Do Fraudsters Easily Gain Trust?
Financial pyramids remain one of the most insidious forms of fraud. It is important to understand that victims of such schemes are not only naive or uninformed people. Often, these are quite reasonable and educated citizens attracted by the promises of easy and quick money.
Fraudsters often use celebrities, influential people, or simply charismatic opinion leaders to promote their schemes. Trust in these individuals automatically extends to the project, even if it does not inspire logical trust.
Many people simply lack the knowledge and critical thinking skills to recognize deception. They trust beautiful promises and do not ask unnecessary questions. Moreover, the desire for easy money remains a crucial factor. Economic instability and low income levels push people to seek quick ways to get rich.
And we should not forget about social engineering. Inspired by examples of rich and successful people, ordinary citizens begin to believe that they, too, can easily and quickly get rich.
Psychological Mechanisms Used by Fraudsters
- Illusion of Control: Fraudsters create an illusion for victims that they control their investments and can withdraw money at any time. In reality, once the money is invested, the victim loses all control.
- Improvement Effect: Initially, financial pyramids may pay small dividends, giving victims the impression that they are actually earning. This prompts them to invest more money and attract new participants.
- Social Proof: Seeing other people (especially those who have already received payments) actively participating and talking about their successes, victims reinforce their decision to invest.
- Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): Fraudsters skillfully play on the fear of missing out, creating the impression that the offer is time-limited and one must act immediately or miss the chance to get rich.
Expert Opinion
“I have long stopped dissuading people who give money to such schemes [financial pyramids – ed.]. They do not want to be dissuaded or talked out of it. They want to be deceived, to have their money taken and not returned. Otherwise, how can one believe that someone unknown, finding a way to turn stone into gold, decides to share it with others?! And all this absolutely selflessly. It is pointless to repeat about free cheese in a mousetrap or about the field of wonders in the land of fools. Take care of yourself and your money; it is more needed by you than by these fraudsters,” noted digital security expert Shukhrat Kurbanov.
The text has been translated by AI. For more accurate information, please refer to the Russian version of the article.
