Police in Pavlodar thwarted a scam and returned 2 million tenge to a pensioner, reports infohub.kz.
According to the Pavlodar region police department, unknown individuals posing as government officials told the woman about an "attack on her bank account." Using psychological manipulation, they convinced her to hand over 2 million tenge. The callers instructed the pensioner to take a "free" taxi and bring the money to a house on Gering Street.
"It was established that the taxi was called to the address by an unknown man. The pensioner was told that when handing over the money, she would be given the code word 'Shuba.' Upon arrival, a woman approached the pensioner, who handed over the 2 million tenge. Realizing they had both fallen victim to the scam, the pensioner called the police," the police department said.
Thanks to the professional actions of operatives Bekzat Makazhanov, Abduli Alimbergenov, and investigator Ilya Boroda, the funds were fully returned to the rightful owner.
"Scammers constantly refine their schemes and use psychological pressure to make people act quickly and thoughtlessly. If during a conversation you are urged to urgently hand over money, given code words, or told not to tell relatives, immediately end the call. Do not follow the instructions of strangers and report it to the police," urged Bekzat Makazhanov, senior operational officer of Pavlodar.