In the Turkistan region, two fraudsters have been detained on suspicion of attempting to extort 15 million tenge from the head of a medical organization. The suspects posed as employees of the Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM) and threatened criminal prosecution, according to infohub.kz.
The AFM noted that such cases have become more frequent amid inspections and investigations related to possible embezzlement in the mandatory health insurance system. Fraudsters exploit this by contacting heads of medical institutions, claiming to have found violations, and offering to help them avoid criminal liability for a fee.
According to the investigation, two suspects in the Turkistan region used exactly this scheme. "Having introduced themselves as AFM employees, they demanded 15 million tenge from the head of a medical organization. After receiving 5 million tenge, the fraudsters demanded the remaining 10 million tenge," the AFM said in a statement.
On August 8, the suspects were caught red-handed by officers of the Department of Economic Investigations for the Turkistan region, together with the AFM's Internal Security Department. The court ordered their detention. The investigation is ongoing.
The agency stressed that financial monitoring officers do not demand money in exchange for dropping criminal prosecution or exemption from liability. A summons to the financial monitoring authorities can only be issued as part of a pre-trial investigation, with an official subpoena served in accordance with the law.
The AFM asks the public to report any extortion attempts by individuals posing as its employees to the call center at 1458.