In 2025, Kazakhstan recorded 28,851 cases of internet fraud, more than 55 times the figure from seven years earlier, according to infohub.kz.
Nearly one in four crimes in the country is linked to internet fraud, according to the Finprom portal. This category includes fake SMS messages and calls from "bank employees," phishing, fake online ads, fraudulent online purchases, account hacking, financial pyramids and investment projects, as well as other illegal activities on the internet.
In 2025, 28,900 cases of internet fraud were registered, accounting for 23.3% of all crimes in the country. For comparison, in 2018, only 517 such criminal offenses were recorded. Thus, over seven years, their number increased more than 55-fold.
Notably, after three years of growth, the number of internet frauds began to decline. In January–July 2026, Kazakhstan recorded 13,100 such crimes, which is 10.3% fewer than in the same period last year. As a result, the share of internet fraud in the overall crime structure dropped to 19.5%, and among all types of fraud, to 57%.
In 2026, the most common scams were fake SMS and calls allegedly from banks, with 2,900 cases. Another 2,700 cases involved phishing websites, emails, links, and malicious apps. 2,600 cases were related to ads for services, 1,900 to online purchases, and 1,300 to online loan applications.
Less common schemes include financial pyramids and investment projects, account and domain hacking, cryptocurrency fraud, mass mailings on social networks and messengers, fake charity, lotteries, quizzes, contests, and online casinos. Earlier reports highlighted how scammers force Kazakhstani citizens to pay strangers, as well as the dangers of "insurance helpers." Additionally, Kazakhstan has introduced criminal liability for dropper activities, where individuals, knowingly or not, participate in scam schemes by transferring received money to other accounts.