In the Aktobe Region, the Financial Monitoring Agency dismantled an organized criminal group that helped online fraudsters transfer and launder stolen funds. The investigation is being conducted on charges of aiding cyber fraud, illegal entrepreneurship, money mule activities, and money laundering.
According to investigators, the group consisted of more than 10 members. To carry out the scheme, the organizers recruited over 150 money mules. They used banking apps, crypto wallets, and accounts registered in the names of third parties to transfer stolen funds and conceal their origin.
The investigation found that the money was first transferred through the bank accounts of money mules, then used to purchase USDT, after which it was exchanged for cash or foreign currency. To make the transactions appear legitimate, the suspects used fictitious loan agreements and shell companies.
So far, investigators have identified 80 victims from 16 regions of Kazakhstan, with total losses exceeding KZT 120 million. Eight suspects have been placed in pre-trial detention, while two others are under house arrest. The court has also seized eight apartments, one vehicle, and digital assets worth 52,000 USDT. The investigation is ongoing.
Providing your bank card, bank account, or access to them to third parties may make you a participant in a criminal scheme and result in criminal liability. Accounts controlled by money mules are commonly used by fraudsters to transfer and launder stolen funds.
Source: Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FMA RK)
