In Astana, fake police officers and 'communication operators' almost swindled 13 million tenge from an 88-year-old pensioner. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to the capital's police department, law enforcement officers managed to prevent a major fraud.
Bank employees noticed that the 88-year-old client was behaving strangely in the branch: she was nervous and constantly talking on the phone with unknown persons, following their instructions. Suspecting fraud, they reported it to the police.
Arriving at the scene, law enforcement officers determined that the woman had fallen victim to a well-thought-out scam scheme.
"According to the investigation, first the fraudsters contacted the pensioner, posing as employees of a telecommunications company. They reported an alleged need to replace the modem. Later, having gained her trust, the scammers continued the scheme on behalf of 'law enforcement agencies,' claiming a 'cyberattack' on her bank accounts," the department said.
The pensioner managed to withdraw 7 million tenge from her deposit account. The scammers gave her detailed instructions: count the bills, put the money in bags, and wait for a 'bank employee' who was supposedly supposed to pick up the cash for verification and safekeeping.
However, thanks to the timely intervention of bank employees and police, further withdrawal of funds was stopped. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Earlier, police warned Kazakh citizens about a new fraud scheme related to making doctor's appointments.
Previously, 'Kursiv' reported that scammers are spreading messages on social networks and messengers offering to connect to a family tariff.