The Center for Countering False Information under the Central Communications Service under the President has verified information circulating online. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.

Videos promising to write off loans and fines of up to 5 million tenge for Kazakhstanis over 18 were circulating on TikTok. The link in the profile leads to a website presented as a service for providing official social assistance.

Steps of the fraudulent scheme

First, the person is required to indicate their year of birth. Then they are offered to switch to Telegram. A countdown timer indicates that time is limited and pushes the user to make a hasty decision.

"A user who confirms authorization in Telegram effectively grants outsiders access to their account, personal correspondence and related data," the center's specialists say.

Technical verification results

According to a technical check, this phishing resource also distributes spam. The domain was registered only about 17 days ago. These signs indicate a risk of phishing fraud under the pretext of receiving state assistance.

Ways to identify a suspicious website

Specialists suggest several ways to identify a suspicious website:

  • 01Carefully check the domain name. Official state resources of Kazakhstan use only the .gov.kz domain zone. The websites of many other official organizations mainly use the .kz zone.
  • 02Pay attention to unfamiliar domain zones. If a website name ends with unfamiliar domain zones such as .cfd, .xyz, .top or .click, it should be carefully checked.
  • 03Do not rely only on the website's appearance. The presence of state symbols, logos and secure connection indicators on a website never confirms that it belongs to a government agency.
  • 04Verify the credibility of promises. If any information about writing off loans and fines is circulated, check it only from official information sources of government agencies.

If you are not sure where a link or application came from and what rights you are granting, do not give permission to access Telegram and other personal accounts.

What to do in case of compromise

If you have already followed a suspicious link, go to Telegram settings, check active sessions, disable unfamiliar devices and enable two-step authentication.

"Such publications, which look credible on the outside, may hide phishing schemes aimed at gaining access to citizens' personal data and accounts. Therefore, one should not believe empty promises, verify information through official sources and treat suspicious links and requests to grant account access with caution," the specialists emphasized.