The Financial Monitoring Agency has exposed a whole network of droppers in Aktobe who assisted online fraudsters. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
According to the agency, the criminal group consisted of more than 10 people. The organizers involved over 150 droppers in the scheme of receiving and laundering stolen funds. They used mobile phones with pre-installed banking apps and crypto wallets. This allowed remote control of the droppers' accounts and financial transactions without their participation.
"Using blockchain analysis tools, the full scheme of laundering stolen funds was identified. First, the victims' money passed through transit bank accounts, then entered the accounts of controlled droppers. After that, the funds were sent to a cryptocurrency platform and used to purchase USDT digital assets. To give the operations a legal appearance, fake loan agreements and shell companies were used. In the final stage, the criminal proceeds were cashed out and converted into foreign currency," the agency reported.
The agency stated that 80 victims were identified in 16 regions of Kazakhstan. The damage exceeded 120 million tenge. "Eight members of the criminal group have been arrested. Another two suspects have been placed under house arrest. By court order, the suspects' property, including 8 apartments, one car, and digital assets worth 52,000 USDT, has been seized," the agency said.
The investigation is ongoing.