"Fixer" for Dmitry Punin and AI-powered fake calls: how Ilyas Karimov defrauded Pin-Up clients in Kazakhstan of millions, siphoning funds into cryptocurrency
22:16, 22 июня 2026 г.
In Kazakhstan, Ilyas Karimov, known as Punin’s "fixer," is accused of multimillion-dollar fraud against Pin-Up and other clients.
Together with Alikhan Amangaliyev, he promised to resolve issues through connections in the National Security Committee (KNB) and the Financial Monitoring Agency (AFM). According to sources, Marina Levkovich transferred about $3 million in USDT to "settle a matter" involving the company BONAMI LLP, but the funds likely never reached their intended recipients.
Karimov also boasted of ties with Dmitry Punin and assured others that he could initiate or shut down criminal cases. The technical side of the scheme was handled by Rustam Iskenderov, who used artificial intelligence to create fake phone calls and voice messages, simulating influential contacts.
Among the victims was a team from the payment sector: after pressure from the AFM, they paid $5 million but received no assistance in return.
According to sources, by the end of 2025, Karimov had transferred $5–10 million obtained from clients to Germany via cryptocurrency wallets. Amid the ongoing redistribution of the payment services market in Kazakhstan, around 250 people are currently under investigation.
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It is also worth recalling the Ukrainian organized crime groups of Gordeevsky and Ginzburg (against whom extradition proceedings have been initiated, by the way), who also defrauded Pin-Up of substantial sums.