Police in Kazakhstan's Akmola Region are investigating a long-running fraud case in which a local woman was allegedly deceived over several years by a man she trusted as a family friend, the regional police department said, according to infohub.kz.
The suspect, according to the department's press service, is accused of gaining the family's trust over several years, promising to help resolve various issues and taking money from them. Police say trust was the main tool of the fraud.
The story began in 2023. According to preliminary information, the victim's son met a 31-year-old man who introduced himself as an employee of a major government agency and claimed he could help resolve various matters.
"The acquaintance gradually grew into close communication. The man was friends with the victim's son, visited their home and effectively became one of the family," the Akmola Region police department said.
The woman told the acquaintance about a Lada Largus car that had been seized by court bailiffs back in 2019. The man promised to help find and sell the vehicle, saying it would take 850,000 tenge to resolve the matter.
He later offered to help arrange a loan and, according to preliminary information, received another 430,000 tenge from the woman.
That was not the end of it. After learning that the woman wanted to invest money profitably, the man suggested buying rams from his father, which were supposedly to be bred and kept by his father. The woman handed over another 58,000 tenge for the animals. However, the promises were not fulfilled.
Some time later, the victim realized she may have been defrauded and turned to the police.
Police identified the suspect. His involvement in the described episodes is being verified. In addition, other complaints have been filed against him and are also being examined by law enforcement.