(26 February 2026 | Source: Polisia.kz)
In the North Kazakhstan Region (NKR), police officers secured compensation for a woman who transferred a large sum after becoming involved in a scheme linked to so-called “free shares” of a bank. The money was returned in full before a procedural decision was made.
HOW THE “INVESTMENT” SCHEME BEGAN
According to Polisia.kz, at the end of December last year, a 45-year-old female resident saw an advertisement on Instagram about earning money through “free shares”. After clicking the link, she left her phone number.
An unknown person contacted her via Telegram, introducing themselves as an analyst, and suggested she install an application for currency trading. As specified in the materials, the programme turned out to be fake and displayed fictitious data.
Initially, the woman transferred 25,000 tenge, after which she received back 11,000 tenge, which were explained to her as “first dividends”. This convinced her to continue participating.
HOW THE AMOUNT GREW
Believing in the possibility of making a profit, the woman disabled the ban on taking out loans in eGov, took out loans from banks, and also borrowed money from relatives and acquaintances.
Over two months, she transferred 18.6 million tenge to the perpetrators. In February, the victim contacted the police.
WHO IS SUSPECTED AND HOW WAS COMPENSATION MADE
Officers of the internal affairs bodies identified a 25-year-old resident of the city of Kostanay. He is suspected of converting the victims’ money into cryptocurrency and transferring it to the scheme’s organisers.
According to the police, after being informed of the criminal liability for drop-catching, the suspect found a way to compensate for the damage. The young man’s mother handed over the entire amount — 18.6 million tenge — to the victim.
Currently, the police department officers are preparing materials to be transferred under the jurisdiction to colleagues in the city of Kostanay for a procedural decision.
HOW MANY SIMILAR CASES HAVE BEEN REGISTERED
Since the beginning of the year, more than 200 cases of internet fraud have been registered in the NKR, of which 24 are related to the “investment” scheme. The police note that such schemes are usually accompanied by the largest amounts of damage.
Law enforcement authorities urge citizens not to trust promises of “easy money” on the internet.