In Kostanay, thanks to the vigilance of one citizen and the coordinated actions of bank staff and the police, an attempted phone scam was prevented. Two residents of the city were immediately at risk, one of whom was already ready to transfer a large sum of money to the scammers.
According to Polisia.kz, the incident began when a pensioner received a call from an unknown person who pretended to be a bank employee. The man spoke of supposedly suspicious transactions on her account and insisted on immediate action. The woman was frightened and almost believed it, but her son intervened. He decided to look into the situation himself and went to the bank branch.
After clarifying the details with the bank staff, they called the police from the cybercrime unit. Together with the police, an important detail was established — the caller's IP address indicated the call originated from abroad. This confirmed that it was one of the common phone scam schemes.
Just as he was about to leave the bank, the man noticed another customer. He was talking on the phone and holding a substantial amount of cash. Hearing the voice on the phone, the man was surprised to recognise the same voice that had recently tried to deceive his mother. Suspicions were confirmed: the man had become another potential victim of the same scammer and had already arranged a transfer of 3 million tenge. Thanks to the intervention, the transaction was stopped before it was completed, and the victim was explained the nature of what was happening.
Thus, a chain reaction — from the pensioner's son's suspicion to the swift response of bank staff and police — helped safeguard the savings of two people. The incident also served as a clear example of how important it is to notice the signs of fraud in time and not remain indifferent to what is happening around you.
Recall that in April, it was reported about scammers who pretended to be employees of "Astana-REC" and "Astana Su Arnasy". They demanded SMS codes under the pretext of replacing meters, and then persuaded victims to transfer money to "safe accounts".
Previously, the "State Technical Service" also warned about scammers posing as employees of clinics, utility services, and courier companies. Using various pretexts, they trick citizens into revealing SMS codes to gain access to government apps and personal data.
The editorial board of FBRK urges readers to remain vigilant and not to trust strangers who ask for personal details or request financial transactions over the phone. If in any doubt, contact your bank or the police directly.