Main Department for Combating Cybercrime carries out large-scale operation together with Ukrainian police - PHOTO - VIDEO
The Main Cybercrime Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, in cooperation with Ukrainian colleagues, conducted an international operation to dismantle a transnational fraudulent network.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, joint efforts led to the extradition to Baku of the group's organizers, who were on the international wanted list for stealing funds from Azerbaijani citizens.
The investigation revealed that the criminal network was managed from several cities in Ukraine under the guise of service offices and call centers. Potential employees were recruited via Telegram through advertisements offering high-paying jobs in IT and customer service.
Call center operators contacted citizens of Azerbaijan using pre-scripted scenarios and psychological manipulation techniques. Posing as law enforcement officers, bank representatives, mobile operators, or investment companies, the fraudsters misled victims by reporting allegedly suspicious transactions on their accounts or card blocks, or by offering non-existent "high-yield investments." They coerced victims into transferring money to "safe accounts" or disclosing sensitive bank card details and SMS verification codes.
As part of bilateral cooperation between the agencies, 11 individuals operating in illegal call centers were arrested in Kyiv. Among them were the key organizers of the network who were wanted internationally: Nariman Isgandarov, Elsun Aliyev, Elshad Musayev, and Elshan Shukurov. All of them have been extradited to Azerbaijan.
In addition, a group of local accomplices operating within the country was identified: Ruslan Zakirov, Yasaf Bayramov, Elsever Mammadov, Dmitry Dushin, and Ruslan Matveyev. They communicated with foreign coordinators via Telegram and were involved in laundering the stolen funds. The accomplices accumulated the money on bank cards under their control, withheld their commission, and converted the remainder into cryptocurrency before transferring it abroad.
A criminal case has been initiated under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. By court order, a pre-trial detention measure has been imposed on the group's leaders, while investigations regarding the other accomplices remain ongoing.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasizes that cybercrime poses a global threat, with worldwide damages increasing by 75% over the past five years to reach $10.5 trillion. The Ministry urges citizens to remain vigilant, exercise caution regarding suspicious offers of easy money on social media, never share bank card details or security codes with anyone, and report any suspicious activity to the police immediately.
