In the Almaty region, a pre-trial investigation has been launched for the first time under a new Article 232-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which establishes liability for so-called "dropping".
According to the press service of the department, a resident of the Enbekshikazakh district acted as an intermediary in transferring money stolen by fraudsters.
It is reported that the woman responded to an advertisement on the OLX website for a part-time job as an online payment operator. In reality, her bank account was used to launder the stolen funds.
Since September, more than 2 million tenge has been deposited into the woman's card, of which she kept 5% as a "commission", transferring the remaining amount to the accounts of the perpetrators.
"This kind of scheme is widely used by fraudsters: they look for people willing to provide their accounts for cashing out stolen money. The law now provides for strict liability for both 'droppers' and those who organise their activities," the statement said.
Currently, the police department of the Enbekshikazakh district is carrying out investigative actions.
As noted by the prosecutor's office, since 16 September, "dropping" is considered a criminal offence. Liability applies not only to individuals who provide their bank details to third parties, but also to those who buy or use other people's bank cards.
Under current legislation, managing other people's accounts for criminal purposes carries a penalty of imprisonment for up to 7 years.
For context, it was previously reported that the Department of the Agency for Financial Monitoring of the West Kazakhstan Region is investigating a case of illegal access to the management of bank accounts and conducting illegal transactions through them. The volume of illegal transactions exceeded 17 million tenge.