Fake Healers Exploit Parents' Fears with Curse-Removal Scams in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is experiencing a surge in fraud schemes where fake healers and fortune tellers contact parents through messaging apps and social media, claiming their children are under strong curses. They fabricate symptoms to instill fear, then demand payment for purification rituals or protective items before disappearing with the money.

How the Scam Works

A new fraud scheme has emerged in Kazakhstan that exploits parents' deepest fears about their children's safety and wellbeing. Scammers contact parents through social media and messaging apps, falsely claiming that the child is under a powerful curse or spiritual attack.

The Fraudulent Process

Contact and Fear Creation: Perpetrators reach out to parents and describe fabricated, alarming symptoms affecting their child. They issue warnings about serious spiritual harm, deliberately intensifying parental anxiety.
Offering a "Solution": Once fear is established, the scammer proposes paid services such as purification rituals, curse-removal ceremonies, or the purchase of protective talismans and objects.
Money Theft and Disappearance: After parents transfer money to designated bank accounts or digital wallets, the scammer immediately cuts off all communication and vanishes.

Warning Signs and Red Flags

Unsolicited warnings about your child: Strangers contacting you with specific, alarming claims about your child's misfortune is a classic fraud indicator.
Lack of scientific basis: Explanations involving "curses," "spiritual contamination," or other metaphysical concepts without medical foundation.
Pressure to decide quickly: Demands for immediate payment with little time to think or verify claims.
Insistence on online-only transactions: Refusal to meet in person and exclusive use of bank transfers or digital payments.

Prevention Tips

Ignore unsolicited offers: Do not engage with treatment, healing, or curse-removal proposals from unknown individuals on social media or messaging apps.
Never send money: Be extremely cautious about any money requests, especially for online payment, related to your child's wellbeing.
Protect personal information: Never share addresses, birthdates, bank account numbers, SMS verification codes, or credit card details with suspicious sources.
Keep records: If you receive suspicious contact, preserve screenshots, chat histories, and payment receipts for evidence.

Reporting and Seeking Help

Contact local law enforcement immediately if you experience any of the following:

You receive threatening or fraudulent contact
You have already transferred money
You have inadvertently shared personal information

Emergency Police Number: 102 (Kazakhstan)