Simply answering a call won't allow fraudsters to withdraw money from your card, according to the Central Bank.

Uzbekistan, Tashkent – AN Podrobno.uz. The Central Bank has denied reports regarding phone calls that enable fraudsters to steal money from the cards of Uzbek citizens. Social media is spreading fears that simply answering these calls could give scammers the ability to automatically withdraw all funds.

https://podrobno.uz/cat/obchestvo/prosto-otvet-na-zvonok-ne-dast-moshennikam-vozmozhnost-snyat-s-karty-dengi-tsentrobank/2025-01-11 08:13:24

The Central Bank emphasized that mobile applications of banks and payment systems incorporate a series of security measures designed to prevent instances of fraud.

"In particular, when registering in a mobile application of a commercial bank or payment organization, a citizen must provide their phone number and enter a confirmation code received via SMS, as well as undergo additional biometric identification to verify their identity," the regulator stated.

Only after successful registration can users link their bank card to the application. To do this, a one-time SMS code is sent to the phone number associated with the card. The card can only be added to the application after entering this code. The phone numbers provided during the application registration and card linking must match. Otherwise, it will not be possible to add the card to the application or perform transactions with it.

Furthermore, newly registered users will only be able to use the bank cards linked to the application one hour after registration.

The Central Bank also listed actions that can indeed lead to unauthorized debits from a card. Among them are sharing one's login and password with others, as well as the one-time SMS code received on their phone number. This would grant them access to manage your account in the mobile application. It is also advised not to install malicious APK files on your computer and phone that are distributed through messengers.

"The Central Bank urges the public and business entities not to trust unverified information circulating on social networks and recommends relying solely on official sources," the regulator concluded.

It should be noted that recently, many residents of Uzbekistan have been complaining about calls from strange numbers, mainly starting with the prefix "78". Against this backdrop, numerous public forums have reported that answering such calls could result in losing money from their cards. A correspondent from Podrobno.uz investigated whether this is true.