Kazakhstanis are being lured into supposedly lucrative investment schemes using deepfakes of well-known figures and fake investment platforms. Over the past month and a half alone, 119 cases of fraud involving this scheme have been recorded in Kazakhstan, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Scammers place advertisements on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other online platforms. In AI-generated videos, celebrities appear to promote investment opportunities, often in trading, that promise exceptionally high passive returns.
Fake platforms and celebrity endorsements
The Prosecutor General’s Office cited several examples, including fake projects such as «Kaspi AI,» featuring Kaspi.kz CEO Mikhail Lomtadze; «Quantum AI,» featuring Tesla CEO Elon Musk; and «TON,» featuring Telegram founder Pavel Durov. Other scams promote purported investment opportunities in «People’s Investments in KazMunayGas» or Gazprom, using the likenesses of well-known TV presenters.
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After clicking an advertisement, potential victims are asked to provide their personal and contact information. They are then contacted by purported «specialists» who persuade them to transfer money to third-party accounts.
Earlier this year, a woman in Taldykorgan saw an Instagram advertisement promising substantial profits from trading, including buying and selling stocks.
After clicking the link, she submitted her personal and contact information. Scammers subsequently contacted her and convinced her to transfer more than 7 million tenge (about $16,000) to third-party accounts.
The money she supposedly invested, along with purportedly accrued dividends, appeared in a fake digital wallet. However, she was unable to withdraw the funds. A pretrial investigation is underway.
Prosecutor’s warning
The Prosecutor General’s Office advises people who receive suspicious calls or messages to end the communication immediately and avoid sharing bank card information, SMS codes or other personal and banking information with unknown individuals. The agency also recommends verifying investment offers through official sources and being particularly cautious about advertisements promising high or guaranteed returns.
