A criminal group that ran a fake call center using illegal GSM gateway devices has been uncovered in Tashkent, the State Security Service (DXX) said.
Five people born between 1989 and 2005 rented a non-residential building in Mirabad district and set up the call center, the DXX said. A 37-year-old associate rented an apartment and installed a GSM gateway device there for the operation.
The group was led by a 49-year-old Tashkent province resident with a previous conviction. Its members included an employee of the cybersecurity department at the head office of a prominent bank, the DXX said.
Members phoned people in the names of various banks, saying fraudsters were trying to take out loans in their names. They obtained victims’ personal data by deception, took money from their bank cards and arranged online loans in their names.
The group moved about $8 million in proceeds to a foreign country as cryptocurrency through a sham limited liability company, laundering the money, the DXX said.
A criminal case has been opened, and 10 more people linked to the suspects were identified during the preliminary investigation.
In 2019, authorities took action against a 30-year-old who installed a GSM gateway at his home in Yunusabad district and set up a hidden international call operation. In another case, a resident of Almazar district kept and used a GSM gateway, a Wi-Fi router and two network switches at home after receiving them from an acquaintance who promised him 1 million soums a month.
Stay up to date with all the latest news:
