Almaty's ARTиШОК theater has reported a new scam targeting theater companies. Fraudsters, posing as presidential administration officials, offer urgent performances in Astana and attempt to extort money, according to infohub.kz.
According to the theater, several independent theaters in Almaty received offers from a so-called 'presidential apparatus.' The unknown callers asked for a short interactive play for a meeting with ambassadors and foreign guests. The performance was to last only 15–20 minutes, with actors required to appear on stage at least twice.
ARTиШОК noted that such offers can seem plausible, especially in August when theaters are in the 'off-season' and any such proposal is seen as a chance to earn money.
However, the theater was then sent a link to transfer money supposedly for purchasing airline tickets. It was at this stage that the scheme was exposed.
'In the end, the person who introduced himself as Aidar Toleukhanovich from some AP (according to Google, there is no such head in the AP, but there is one with a similar name), after coordinating the performance and budget with several theaters, suggested buying plane tickets for the artists at the theater's expense (explaining that the matter is urgent, the money transfer would take a long time, and the ticket cost would be returned to the theater along with the fee). Only the ticket purchase scheme drew attention — a link where money was to be sent to buy 'cheap' flights,' the theater noted.
The ARTиШОК team urged colleagues not to transfer money to strangers and to always verify the identity and position of anyone making such offers.
Earlier it was reported that in Kazakhstan a group of fraudsters with a so-called SMS blaster was detained. This device mimics a cell tower. The scammers moved by car, like in spy movies. When they stopped somewhere with the SMS blaster in the car, it emitted a strong signal, and phones connected to it automatically.