A pensioner from Uzbekistan’s Syrdarya region has lost 200 million soums ($16,289) after falling victim to a phone scam involving fake bank security officers.

According to the regional police department, the 62-year-old resident of the Saykhunabad district received a call from a fraudster posing as an employee of the Central Bank, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

The caller warned him about suspicious transactions on his bank cards and then transferred the call to a fake security specialist allegedly representing Hamkorbank.

After misleading the victim, the scammers managed to take out a microloan in his name and seize the funds. The entire amount-200 million soums-was obtained through credit.

Investigators later identified a 21-year-old resident of the Samarkand region as a suspect in the case. Law enforcement believes he acted as part of an organized criminal group, which may also include two Russian nationals. The suspect has been detained, and a criminal case has been opened on fraud charges, which carry a penalty of up to eight years in prison.

Authorities are currently checking the group’s possible involvement in other similar crimes, as phone fraud schemes targeting elderly citizens remain a growing concern across the country.