Fear and greed: how do fraudsters trick us? Top schemes: pyramid schemes, money mules and deepfakes
The media outlet Sreda examines the most common fraud schemes. Guest expert: Yuriy Lee. 16.01.2026
Kazakhstanis lost nearly KZT 117 billion to fraudsters in the first nine months of last year. In this episode, we break down the most common scam schemes and explain how fraudsters operate today. Why are teenagers being drawn into criminal schemes? How do dreams of luxury cruises turn into losses worth millions? Who are money mules? Is it possible to stay protected in the digital world? And how can you avoid becoming a target? Watch the new episode to find out.
Speaker: Yuriy Lee, Head of the Stop-piramida.kz project.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Were Kazakhstanis scammed out of KZT 117 billion?
01:15 – Vishing: when a single phone call is enough to lose everything
07:22 – Smishing: one click on a link and your money is gone
10:47 – Money mules: pawns in a larger scheme?
13:30 – Financial pyramid schemes: a classic that never disappears
19:33 – A cruise pyramid scheme: when dream holidays end in debt
22:14 – International schemes: when fraud becomes a business
