Tashkent law enforcement officers dismantled two underground call centers that serviced illegal online casinos and extracted funds from men through fake online dating. For digital asset holders, this is a clear signal: an online interlocutor asking to transfer money is highly likely to be an operator of a fraudulent scheme.
According to the city's Main Internal Affairs Directorate, the combined turnover of crypto assets linked to both groups amounted to $576,000. Strict control over such flows benefits licensed platforms, while buyers of cryptocurrency from casual intermediaries still risk their funds without any protection.
Cards for casinos and fake dating: the mechanics of the call centers
Both call centers operated in the Mirabad district of Tashkent. Officers of the cybercrime unit detained 72 people, 52 of whom were in a private house on Farghona-1 Street, rented by the group for $9,000.
According to the investigation, members of this group conducted illegal bank card operations in the interests of underground online casinos and illegal bookmakers. During the search, $110,000 in cash, 71 laptops, 278 mobile phones and three Starlink satellite internet devices were seized.
The second call center, rented for $2,000, was located on Katta Mirabad Street. Another 20 people were detained there, and 24 laptops, tablets, 52 phones and four Wi-Fi routers were seized. According to the investigation, members of the group posed as women, met men online and, having gained their trust, obtained money from them under various pretexts.
Both groups operated under a strict hierarchy: leaders, managers, operators and security guards. A criminal case has been opened under Article 278-8 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan on violations of legislation in the sphere of crypto asset circulation, and the investigation continues.
Not the first case this autumn in Tashkent
A week earlier, Tashkent police discovered another call center in the Yakkasaray district, where 23 foreigners were residing without permission. Three of them traded cryptocurrency without a license through an online exchange worth 27,900 USDT — a case also opened under Article 278-8, which indicates the authorities' systemic attention to gray crypto circulation.
Digital assets often serve as a channel for withdrawing stolen funds: in mid-October, the State Security Service uncovered a group in Tashkent that, posing as banks, extracted personal data from citizens and took out online loans in their names. Members of the scheme converted the funds into cryptocurrency and moved abroad through shell companies an amount equivalent to $8 million.
Cryptalist analysis: The case demonstrates a sustained trend — cryptocurrency is becoming not only a tool for withdrawing funds, but also an operating environment for organized fraudulent networks in Central Asia. Increasing law enforcement pressure under Article 278-8 is creating demand for transparent infrastructure and licensed exchange channels, which in the medium term helps reduce the share of shadow turnover in the region.