More than 660,000 Kazakh citizens have fallen prey to fraudulent schemes under the guise of charity donations, as reported by the Financial Monitoring Agency. According to the agency, 138 bank cards were involved in dubious crowdfunding activities, with over 660,000 people sending their money to pseudo-charitable causes.
The total amount raised reached 6 billion tenge, out of which 33% (2 billion) showed signs of fraudulent activity. The agency also highlighted potential threats of collective fundraising on social media platforms and the subsequent misuse of funds.
The head of the agency, Dmitry Malakhov, emphasized the alarming trend of unscrupulous individuals exploiting the goodwill of citizens by falsely claiming to raise funds for medical treatments and aid for the less fortunate. These scammers often spend the collected money on personal expenses, gambling, and luxury rentals abroad.
The event concluded with representatives from the Astana International Financial Center, financial regulators, and second-tier banks stressing the need for legislative measures to regulate crowdfunding activities. Despite continuous warnings from experts, Kazakh citizens continue to fall victim to fraudsters, such as the recent case where promises of extraordinary profits from shares in a popular local airline were made.
