Fraudsters who scammed people via fake Telegram pages detained (video)

A criminal group that created fake social media pages in the name of the State Customs Committee and fraudulently obtained money from citizens has been detained. The Tashkent Regional Department of Internal Affairs reported the arrests.

According to the statement, during an оператив operation conducted in the region, law enforcement officers uncovered a criminal group that had created fake channels and groups on Telegram and Instagram under the name of the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan and illegally appropriated citizens’ funds. Members of the group were detained.

Preliminary investigations indicate that five individuals aged between 22 and 25, residing in Andijan region, devised a criminal scheme earlier this year. They created Telegram channels and Instagram groups under names such as “Confiscated Goods” and “Wholesale Warehouse,” posing as representatives of the customs system. The group also operated nearly ten fake accounts with names such as “Customs Committee Admin” and “Trust Is With You,” presenting themselves as official employees.

The suspects advertised household appliances, refrigerators and televisions, heating boilers, kitchen and children’s furniture, various gadgets including the latest iPhone models, clothing, and even nonexistent motor scooters at extremely low prices, promising delivery. Some payments were accepted through bank cards registered in other people’s names.

As a result, before the preliminary investigation stage, members of the criminal group gained the trust of at least 60 citizens and fraudulently obtained a total of 117 million soums, which they spent on personal needs. Victims who demanded delivery of goods or attempted to reestablish contact were ignored and blocked on social media, effectively placed on a “blacklist.”

A criminal case has been opened against the suspects under Article 168, Part 3, Clauses “b” and “g” of the Criminal Code (fraud), and a preventive measure of detention has been applied.

Investigative actions are ongoing, and measures are being taken to compensate victims for the material damage caused.

It is worth noting that earlier, individuals involved in the sale of narcotic substances via social media were detained in Kashkadarya region.