Police Recover 39 Million Tenge After Pensioner Defrauded in Apartment Scam in Astana

An 87-year-old pensioner in Astana was tricked into selling his apartment and handing the proceeds to scammers, Orda.kz reports.

The scheme used to deceive the man followed a familiar pattern. He received a phone call from fraudsters who claimed someone was attempting to re-register his apartment and advised him to sell the property himself, then deposit the funds into a supposed “safe account.”

During the conversation, the perpetrators convinced the victim that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Bank were conducting a secret operation to catch the fraudsters, and forbade him from telling even his relatives about it,
 the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.

Trusting their story, the man sold his apartment for 39 million tenge and handed the money to a courier.

Police later identified and detained the suspect — a 23-year-old resident of the Almaty region. Officers recovered the full amount, which has since been returned to the pensioner.

The suspect is being held in a temporary detention facility while the investigation continues.

Orda.kz has previously reported similar scams targeting elderly Kazakhstanis, including Honorary Architect of Kazakhstan Yelena Shchedrina and KazNU Professor Kaken Kamzin. Kamzin later received financial assistance from university graduates and other concerned citizens.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin