Kazakhstan slashes cybercrime by 15% with stricter fraud laws

Council Chaired by Prosecutor General Berik Asylov Reviews Progress in Countering Cyberthreats

A meeting of the Coordinating Council for Ensuring Legality, Law and Order, and Crime Prevention—led by Prosecutor General Berik Asylov—assessed the effectiveness of measures to combat cyberthreats. The session brought together representatives from the Presidential Administration, parliamentary deputies, heads of law enforcement and special agencies, relevant ministries, as well as financial institutions, telecom operators, and online platforms.

Participants noted that cybercrime incidents had declined by 15.1% over the past three months (from 6,216 to 5,275 cases). This positive trend reflects coordinated efforts by government agencies and the implementation of presidential directives to shift from reactive to proactive responses to criminal threats.

Key advancements include strengthened security in lending: a mandatory "cooling-off period," in-person verification for first-time loans, and other protective measures have been introduced. The telecommunications sector has also seen major changes, with SIM-boxing banned, biometric subscriber registration implemented, and carriers now required to deploy anti-fraud systems and block scam calls.

Criminal liability for dropshipping (a fraudulent scheme involving intermediary accounts) has been introduced, with 446 cases filed since the law took effect. Through the Anti-Fraud Center at the National Bank, authorities have frozen 2.8 billion tenge linked to illicit activity.

Particular focus was placed on combating crimes involving digital assets, including cryptocurrency theft schemes and mass fraud calls—often routed through virtual communication channels. The Committee on Legal Statistics and Special Records has established a Center for Forecasting Criminal Threats and Public Safety Risks to address emerging challenges.

A significant share of scam calls now originate via messengers, particularly WhatsApp, signaling a shift in criminal activity beyond traditional telecom infrastructure. Authorities identified 18 new cyberthreats, including: - Overseas use of SMS blasters (devices for mass messaging that bypass carriers); - Phishing campaigns and deepfake technology; - Schemes exploiting spoofed numbers and unregistered SIM cards.

In early April, law enforcement exposed the first confirmed case of an SMS blaster being used in the country, demonstrating their ability to swiftly detect and disrupt new forms of cybercrime. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, meeting participants highlighted the effectiveness of interagency cooperation, as well as systematic training and upskilling programs for law enforcement personnel in cybersecurity.

Berik Asylov emphasized the need to expand public awareness campaigns about the latest tactics and schemes used by cybercriminals. He also stressed the importance of tightening accountability for financial institutions, telecom operators, and online platforms that fail to implement—or delay—adequate digital and organizational safeguards to prevent cyberattacks targeting the rights and legitimate interests of their customers and users.