A group engaged in cyber fraud has been identified in Tashkent city, and it has been reported that they stole approximately one billion soums from citizens' bank cards. This was reported by Upl.uz.
The criminals used a method of distributing malicious software through the Telegram messenger. The press service of the Tashkent city cybersecurity center reported that these criminals were detained by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the operational-search department, and the cybersecurity center.
The group members distributed malicious files in .apk format intended for Android devices via Telegram. Once this file was installed on phones, the criminals gained full access to users' SMS messages, contacts, call histories, and other personal information.
Using this information, they easily stole money from bank cards. During the investigation, it was revealed that there were citizens from various countries in the group.
The criminals organized a closed group on Telegram, where they stored the bank card information of users who had installed the virus and the SMS codes necessary to confirm financial transactions. The phones of the detained suspects were checked, and it was found that the total amount stolen from 177 bank cards was nearly one billion soums.
The entire fraud scheme and thefts were managed through a specially organized call center. Currently, operational-search activities are ongoing to identify other participants in the republic's territory.
A criminal case has been initiated under Article 168 ("Fraud") of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan regarding this case. The suspects have been detained, and active investigative actions are being carried out to fully uncover the crime and hold all guilty parties accountable.
