Man jailed for collecting nearly 5 billion soums for non-existent cars

A man who deceived hundreds of citizens via Telegram and caused material damage exceeding 4.8 billion soums has been sentenced to five years and one month in prison, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

According to the report, M.A., born in 1999 in Guzor district of Kashkadarya region, created a Telegram account under the name “Yolg‘iz bo‘ri.” Using car sales–related channels, he posted advertisements offering expensive vehicles that did not belong to him. In particular, he advertised the cars at prices significantly lower than market value. To appear credible, he provided detailed descriptions, including the year of manufacture, mileage, and technical condition of the vehicles.

“There is such a thing as easy money—you sell things that do not belong to you. Easy money, for example, through deposits. You post something worth $10,000 or $5,000, and within 10–20 minutes, money appears out of nowhere—5–6 million soums. Everything is virtual,” he said.

According to him, while such vehicles normally cost around $80,000–90,000 at dealerships, he offered them for $50,000. Attracted by the lower price, potential buyers believed the cars could be purchased. He told prospective buyers that they needed to pay a “deposit” ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. Once the funds were transferred to virtual accounts and profiles registered in the names of third parties, the perpetrator cut off contact and deleted all correspondence.

“I regret what I did. The people I deceived planned to use that money for good purposes—to buy cars, build homes, or hold weddings for their children. I took their money through fraud. I ask them for forgiveness. I truly regret my actions,” he said.

By court verdict, the man was found guilty of committing fraud under Article 168 of the Criminal Code and was sentenced to five years and one month of imprisonment.

It is worth noting that earlier, a criminal group that had been operating fake social media pages in the name of the Customs Committee and misappropriating citizens’ funds was also detained.