(2 March 2026 | Source: press service of the Agency for Financial Monitoring of the Republic of Kazakhstan)
In the Aktobe region, law enforcement agencies are investigating a scheme for the circulation of crypto assets without mandatory registration and a licence. According to the investigation, the organiser created a stable structure with a distribution of roles, through which financial transactions and subsequent cashing out of funds were carried out.
HOW THE SCHEME WAS STRUCTURED
According to the Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM), the organiser, without the necessary registration and licence, set up a scheme to generate income from transactions with unsecured digital assets.
The investigation indicates that group members were engaged in finding so-called droppers, opening bank cards and accounts at cryptocurrency exchanges in their names, conducting financial transactions, and ensuring the withdrawal of funds.
Money received onto the bank cards of more than 150 droppers was transferred to their crypto wallets on the ATAIX exchange. To give the funds a legitimate origin, scheme participants drew up fictitious loan agreements between the droppers and an affiliated limited liability partnership. After this, the funds were converted into cryptocurrency and transferred to crypto wallets on the OKX exchange.
A controlled exchange office was used for the conversion and withdrawal of money, through which funds were transferred into foreign currency.
VOLUME OF TRANSACTIONS AND SEIZED PROPERTY
According to the AFM, the total value of transactions involving the sale of digital assets exceeded 3.5 billion tenge.
During the search, officers seized 46 mobile phones, 92 bank cards, and crypto assets amounting to 25,463 USDT.
PREVENTIVE MEASURE
As part of the investigation, five suspects have been placed in custody.