Group supplying phone scammers with accounts, SIM cards detained in Kyrgyzstan

11:01, 03 февраля 2026, Bishkek - 24-kg.com news agency , Turdubek AIGYROV

A major channel aiding international phone scammers has been dismantled in Kyrgyzstan, the press center of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) reported.

According to the SCNS, the group was engaged in the mass activation of WhatsApp, Telegram, and Lalafo accounts using SIM cards issued by Kyrgyz mobile operators, and organized the purchase of bank cards from citizens through so-called «droppers.»

Security services established that these accounts and bank cards were then sold via Telegram to international scammers, who used them for voice phishing—gaining access to citizens’ funds through deception.

The fraudsters posed as employees of the SCNS, the National Bank, and other state bodies, accused people of «financing terrorism,» and threatened them with criminal charges. Victims were sent fake letters allegedly from the leadership of the state committee, bearing forged letterheads and signatures.

As part of the investigation, the following individuals were detained and taken into custody:

A.B.N., 18, placed in the detention facility 14 for two months;
A.E.K., 20, placed in pretrial detention facility 1 in Bishkek;
R.Sh.K., 27, previously convicted of fraud, placed in the SCNS detention facility;
Zh.K.R., 25, previously convicted of robbery, theft, and fraud, placed in the SCNS detention facility;
T.B.Sh., 17, released into the care of parents;
A.u.S., 22, previously charged under articles related to murder and fraud, placed in the SCNS detention facility;
A.A.A., 18, released under parental guarantees;
K.I., 17, released under parental guarantees;
J.S.A., 30, placed in pretrial detention center 1 in Bishkek.

The investigation is ongoing. The SCNS is identifying other participants in the scheme.

Security services remind that transferring or selling personal SIM cards, messaging apps accounts, or bank cards to third parties can lead to criminal liability. In a number of cases, such actions are classified as complicity in fraud.