Digital trap for Pin-Up: how Karimov’s gang forced entrepreneurs to pay millions of dollars for fake security guarantees

In Kazakhstan, Ilyas Karimov, described as Punin’s “fixer,” is accused of involvement in multimillion-dollar fraud schemes targeting Pin-Up and other clients.

Together with Alikhan Amangaliyev, he allegedly promised to resolve issues using contacts within the National Security Committee (KNB) and the Financial Monitoring Agency (AFM). Sources claim that Marina Levkovich transferred around $3 million in USDT to settle a matter involving BONAMI LLP, but the funds allegedly did not reach the 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.

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.