The scandal around the brokerage services of billionaire Timur Turlov’s subsidiary company is growing: according to victims’ estimates, several unscrupulous brokers at «Freedom Finance» have withdrawn about 2.5 billion tenge from the accounts of at least 30 Kazakh clients.
Among the victims is an 84-year-old grandmother who trusted the stories of a charismatic «Freedom» employee and handed over her last savings. Ulysmedia.kz sought a comment from the company’s head office, but no one bothered to investigate the retiree’s case or respond to specific questions from our reporters.
WHO SUFFERED MORE
Stories about several unscrupulous employees of Freedom Finance deceiving Kazakhs out of large sums began to appear in the media since winter. In mid-March, an official statement was published on the website of JSC «Freedom Finance» in connection with this.
In short, it states that «Freedom Finance» suffered from its unscrupulous employees no less than ordinary Kazakhs did, because the damage was done to its reputation. However, the extent to which Kazakhs impoverished by dishonest brokers are – the company does not know.
The affected individuals (some of whom were not even our clients) entered into personal financial relationships with the suspect, handing over their funds independently outside the company’s perimeter, - they comment on the scandal.
IS «FREEDOM» WARNING?
Also, in the publication, «Freedom Finance» hints at possible lawsuits against the media that dare to publicize this story, as well as the Kazakhs who have already lost their money and are trying to reclaim it through journalists.
Shortly before the negative series of publications appeared in the public space directed at JSC «Freedom Finance», offers to «settle the situation» and pay substantial amounts of money allegedly to avoid negative media coverage started coming in from various individuals. The company refused such «offers», interpreting them as blackmail and an attempt at corporate pressure, - writes the company’s press service.
Meanwhile, commercials about how to get rich on investments through «Freedom Finance» continue to actively «pop up» in the mobile apps of Kazakhs.
And, against the backdrop of the crying 84-year-old Aida Lukyanova, who already believed in such advertising but now cannot even honor the memory of her father who died in World War II, this advertising seems extremely inappropriate.
ELOQUENT BROKERS
Therefore, the main thing that Ulysmedia.kz tried to find out from «Freedom Finance» was what exactly they had done to enhance the security of depositors’ accounts? Perhaps, the control service over brokers has been strengthened? Has their selection become more stringent?
Among those who suffered from the actions of the fraudsters – are mainly elderly people, and in their defense, they only reported that the brokers were very eloquent and convincing in their promises to increase their capital. And the seniors believed. So much so that they gave them access to their accounts with logins and passwords.
So, perhaps a conscientious company should, in this situation, somehow tighten control over clients of «honorable» or too young an age? We asked the press service of «Freedom Finance» about this too.
But they did not respond to us. Instead, they sent us a link to the same official statement that while the trusting grandmothers and grandfathers were losing money, JSC «Freedom Finance» was losing its reputation.
Who suffered more in this situation – will, of course, be decided by the Agency for Regulation and Development of Financial Markets, as well as the police. But in one thing with «Freedom Finance» cannot be disagreed:
To avoid becoming a victim of malefactors:
- replenish your accounts only with the company’s official details ;
- use only your own account for investing;
- never share authorization data (logins and passwords) with third parties (including company employees);
- do not change your authorization phone number to that of third parties.
If you receive an offer from a third party (including a company employee) to do something from the above or transfer money personally to such a person – refuse , advises «Freedom Finance» clients.
It’s just a pity they don’t mention it in their advertising, because very few Kazakhs visit the site to read official messages.
Earlier, remind you, an 84-year-old grandmother in Astana stated that she could not go to the parade on May 9 in Moscow, as all her savings were stolen by a dishonest broker of «Freedom Finance». As the retiree is confident, the fraudster audaciously robbed her and other victims because he received permission for such actions from the leadership of the entire Freedom Holding Corp.
The holding is led by one of the richest Kazakhs – Timur Turlov.
