The operative officer of the department for combating crime in the field of IT technologies and information-technical support of the Bishkek City Police Department, Aliskhan Akylbekov, shared information on Birinchi Radio about current measures to combat cybercrime.
He emphasized that cyber fraud continues to be a serious problem, and law enforcement agencies work daily to detect and prevent such crimes. According to him, citizens often turn to the police and banks, reporting fraud through official channels.
Akylbekov also noted that criminals often impersonate police officers, State National Security Committee (GKNB) agents, or bank employees. Their goal is to seize citizens' money. The peculiarity of cyber fraud is that it is carried out without physical contact, through phone calls, messengers, and websites. Fraudsters actively use psychological pressure on their victims.
“The most vulnerable are elderly people, especially those who grew up in the post-Soviet space and speak Russian. Those who do not speak Russian are less likely to fall victim to such schemes,” he noted.
The police officer also reported that victims often provide fraudsters with their personal data, including information about bank accounts and card passwords. This data is then used against them, which can lead to significant financial losses. There have been cases where victims not only transferred money but also took out loans and sold their assets, transferring funds to fraudsters.Akylbekov reminded that legislative measures are also being taken to combat cyber fraud. In August of last year, a law was signed by the President of Kyrgyzstan amending several legislative acts. An article 209, part 1, was added to the Criminal Code, which provides for liability for the illegal transfer and sale of electronic funds and SIM cards to third parties.
“Often, citizens themselves create conditions for fraudsters by issuing bank cards in their name and providing access to electronic applications. For this, they can receive small amounts, from five to ten thousand soms. Due to ignorance of the law, people share their data, and then the funds obtained illegally are withdrawn through their cards,” he explained.
A similar situation exists with SIM cards. According to Akylbekov, number owners should not share access to their accounts on WhatsApp and other services, as fraudsters can access the account from anywhere in the world and use the number for deception.He also reported that from August until the end of 2025, employees of the cyber unit of the Bishkek City Police Department detained 116 droppers—people who sold their bank cards. Of these, 30 were prosecuted. According to him, after the introduction of the new article, there has been a decrease or at least stabilization in the number of cybercrimes using dropper cards, indicating a positive effect of the measures taken.
