In Astana, the activities of a group of individuals who used special technical equipment to carry out a mass phishing SMS campaign have been uncovered. Over the course of four days, approximately 150,000 messages were sent to subscribers of the operators Beeline, Kcell and Activ.
HOW THE SCHEME WORKED
According to the Astana city prosecutor's office, in January 2026, a foreign national from a country in Southeast Asia, for a financial reward, recruited a local resident to organise the unlawful activity in Kazakhstan. Other individuals were also brought in to ensure the equipment remained operational.
An SMS blaster was used for the mass messaging — a device that mimics a mobile phone base station. According to law enforcement agencies, it allowed messages to be sent bypassing the operators' filtering systems.
WHAT SUBSCRIBERS RECEIVED
The messages were sent in the names of well-known companies and contained offers to exchange bonus points. After clicking the link, the user was taken to a fake website where they were prompted to enter personal and banking details.
In particular, payment card details, the CVV code and an SMS confirmation code were requested. It is noted that in this way, those involved in the scheme gained access to citizens' confidential information and their bank funds.
WHAT THE FORENSIC EXAMINATION ESTABLISHED
The Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM) seized the SMS blaster. The forensic examination carried out established that the device falls under the category of special technical equipment intended for conducting intelligence-gathering operations and covert investigative actions.
It was precisely the use of such equipment that served as the basis for classifying the actions under Part 2 of Article 399 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Illegal manufacture, production, acquisition, sale or use of special technical equipment for the covert obtaining of information").
WHAT STAGE THE CASE IS AT
Four suspects are currently in custody.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
Further information is not subject to disclosure in accordance with Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
