Do not trust videos featuring celebrities: Kazakhstanis warned about new scam scheme

Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry has issued a warning regarding a sophisticated scam that exploits videos featuring celebrities to deceive individuals into fraudulent investment schemes. The ministry reports that these deceptive materials are widely distributed through messaging apps and social media platforms, promising unsuspecting victims rapid and guaranteed financial returns. The scheme typically involves fake brokers who contact interested parties, urging them to install a mobile application, click on suspicious links, or transfer funds to third-party accounts. These transfers are falsely justified as necessary for "investments," "account activation," or "profit enhancement." Once the money is received, the criminals often cease communication, leaving victims without their promised income. In some instances, fraudsters continue to demand further payments, citing fabricated "taxes," "fees," or "insurance contributions." The Interior Ministry strongly advises citizens to exercise extreme caution, emphasizing the importance of not trusting promises of guaranteed profits, avoiding transfers to unknown individuals or suspicious accounts, and refraining from installing applications or clicking links from unverified sources. They recommend verifying investment companies exclusively through official state registers and contacting legitimate company offices for any investment plans. The police are actively conducting pre-trial investigations into identified cases, working to apprehend those involved and block the fraudulent online resources and fund withdrawal channels. Victims or individuals with information about such scams are urged to immediately report to local internal affairs authorities or call the emergency number 102.

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If you have become a victim of online fraud or have information about such cases, you must immediately contact internal affairs authorities at your place of residence or call 102.