In early 2026, a case concerning one of the most high-profile financial crimes in the country's recent history was sent to the Almaly District Court in Almaty. It concerns the activities of the consumer cooperative "Asar Baspana."

The figures preliminarily released by the investigation are staggering.

Over 90,000 victims.

Damage exceeding 25 billion tenge.

On the defendant's bench are 17 people.

A CHRONOLOGY OF "SUCCESS"

The creator of this elaborate deception system, T. Nurken (name changed), managed to build a complex, multi-level fraudulent pyramid on the banal promise of exorbitant profits.

Tens of thousands of people voluntarily gave him billions, as it turned out. Why? How did so many people across all regions of Kazakhstan believe in this mirage? The phenomenon probably lies not only in the thirst for profit but also in deep psychological mechanisms that the pyramid organizers learned to skillfully exploit.

This scam became a theater of illusions, where its organizers acted as directors, playing their role on a grand scale, creating a powerful facade of a real business.

The peculiarity of this pyramid was that people were not just promised "mountains of gold"; they were also engaged through a clear multi-tiered program, with "dividends" paid from the profits of supposedly real operating production structures. They claimed that workshops in Almaty were producing construction materials, sewing clothes, and even running a factory for household and medical appliances.

Products did indeed exist, but they were purchased from third-party suppliers and merely labeled with the "Asar" logo. To the uninitiated, this looked like a functioning factory and a tangible asset. This classic technique of providing false evidence created the illusion of production capacity and a "real" product, dulling the critical thinking of investors and replacing it with blind trust.

The main hook that caught people was the enticing bait promising a monthly income of up to 30 percent. Although such a return in the financial world is a sign of either a genius or a fraudulent project. A psychological mechanism was activated: the pyramid organizers played on the fear of "missing out," creating a sense that the door to a paradise-like future was about to close, and one needed to jump on the last train.

The "word-of-mouth" effect also worked: people, seeing their acquaintances who had joined earlier receiving initial payments, lost the ability for sober calculation. The first investors received something, but it was from the money of newcomers. This created an effect of "investment gambling addiction," where the excitement and thirst for easy money completely clouded a person's reason.

Behind it all was the pyramid organizer, T. Nurken, born in 1979, a native of the Zhetysu region, with higher education, previously convicted, residing in Astana. Later, he was joined by like-minded accomplices from different regions of the country.

The time when he created the financial pyramid, driven by selfish motives for illegal material gain, began in January 2023 and lasted until February 2025.

While in Almaty, he devised and created an "innovative" way to attract money on an especially large scale.

The scheme was old and well-worn: the assets obtained were meant to enrich some participants at the expense of contributions from others. For disguise, T. Nurken decided to use the company "Consumer Cooperative 'Asar Baspana Housing Complex'," registered in 2019, to feign legitimate business activity. However, he had no intention of using the attracted funds for business activities.

The calculation for success proved accurate: amidst financial difficulties, many people were interested in finding quick and easy sources of income. And then he appears on the scene as a "manager" offering seemingly affordable terms. He simulated the plan to attract investors' funds as a profitable, phased investment.

Starting his active operations, T. Nurken clearly and structurally developed the fraudulent scheme, applying imagination and demonstrating considerable talent.

Thus, eight specialized programs he developed were born, which became tools for attracting citizens' funds. This was a kind of script with a specific investment algorithm.

The project was presented as participation in highly profitable investment activities that did not require potential investors to have any real involvement in the economic or production sphere. Behind the veil of these programs was the goal of creating a false impression of the possibility of making a profit through investments.

For rapid and mass outreach to potential victims and for communication, T. Nurken chose the digital environment – the Telegram messenger, relying on its popularity and the ability to quickly spread information among an unlimited circle of people. Here, he created a special group called "Business in Kazakh," where he posted, step by step, the promotion for the eight scenarios he had developed.

BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF MULTI-LEVEL REWARDS

The "swallow" of the fraudulent project was the "Altyn Sandyq" (Golden Chest) program, which provided for five levels of profitability.

This was a hierarchical system with an entry fee of 1,500 tenge and five profit levels. Depending on their activity, participants received a series of payouts and "places" (participation rights) in other "investment" programs.

So, investments in "Altyn Sandyq" started with a contribution of 1,500 tenge, and by progressing through the levels, participants received cashback (rewards) and paid places in related programs. To participate in the program and reach one of the above-mentioned levels, the investor first registered on the «asar-baspana.com» internet platform, then made a contribution and received a sequential unique investor number.

For example, at the "Bronze" level: payout 3,000 tenge. Silver: payout 13,000 tenge + 4 places in "Altyn Sandyq" (worth 6,000 tenge each). Gold: payout 27,000 tenge + a place in "Avto Bagdarlama" (Auto Program) (50,000 tenge) + 2 places in "Altyn Sandyq" (3,000 tenge each). Platinum 1: payout 209,000 tenge + 2 places in "Altyn Sandyq" (3,000 tenge each). Platinum 2: payout 350,000 tenge + a place in "Avto Bagdarlama" (50,000 tenge) + 8 places in "Altyn Sandyq" (12,000 tenge) + a place in "Baspana Bagdarlamasy" (Housing Program) (150,000 tenge).

To move to the next level of the program and receive a profit of 3,000 tenge, the investor needed to attract eight new investors or buy eight places themselves at 1,500 tenge each, totaling 12,000 tenge. According to the program's scheme, the investor's serial number is multiplied by eight and seven is added, thus obtaining the target serial number. When this number is reached in the program, the investor receives a reward of 3,000 tenge and moves to the next level.

Let's break down this seemingly complex scheme with an example.

Suppose an investor is registered under unique number 11. Initial contribution 1,500 tenge plus eight places at 1,500 tenge = 13,500 tenge.

Unique number 11 is multiplied by eight and plus seven = 95 (target unique number). And when unique number 95 is purchased in the "Altyn Sandyq" program, the investor with unique number 11 will receive 3,000 tenge and move to the "Silver" level.

This formula is applied similarly in this program when achieving profits termed "Silver," "Gold," "Platinum 1," "Platinum 2," as well as in all subsequent programs, the differences being in the amount and type of reward and the total sum of contributions.

"ZHANA MEN": GROWING CONTRIBUTIONS AND THE ILLUSION OF INCOME

The second program, "Zhana Men" (New Me), also provided for five levels of profit (reward) and was positioned as an investment program with a multi-stage dividend system.

The payout structure showed classic signs of a financial pyramid, where income for the first participants is generated by the constant influx of newcomers. Participation terms: to enter the system, an initial contribution of 15,000 tenge was required. Then the participant could move up the career ladder, increasing their financial investment.

The scheme looked tempting, but again it required investing increasing amounts. Starting with 15,000 tenge, at the Bronze level you already invest 30,000. Silver – 130,000 (promising four places in the program). Gold – 270,000 (promising places in "Auto" and "Zhana Men"). Platinum 1 – 2,090,000 (promising places in "Baspana"). Platinum 2 – 3,500,000 tenge plus a bonus of ten places in "Avto Bagdarlama" and eight places in "Zhana Men" (worth 120,000 tenge).

The sharp jump in contributions observed here (from 15,000 to 3.5 million) and the lack of information about real goods or services that create added value should have alerted investors, because behind the "Zhana Men" program, a classic financial pyramid was visible.

A familiar picture, isn't it? An obvious sign: the higher the level, the more money needed to be paid "into the system" to gain rights to fictitious "places" in other programs. The only source of enrichment here, again, was the money of new participants.

The intricate system of rules in the subsequent projects, which we will discuss later, did not deter investors. Seeing the business proposals in the "Business in Kazakh" Telegram chat, they began investing their initial funds. Seeing the growing activity, T. Nurken decided to give his project a more official appearance. Thus, the entire project acquired the name "Asar Baspana Housing Complex" and a recognizable logo.

On February 26, 2023, the first office was officially opened in Almaty; for this, the pyramid schemer rented a private house. He invited everyone interested to the office opening, sending an invitation to the chat. And to accept non-cash contributions, he registered a sole proprietorship, "Asar Baspana," in his own name.

Considering the office to be on the outskirts of the city, which was inconvenient, one investor, N. Daulet, proposed opening a branch closer to the city center. Thus, the first branch of "Asar Baspana" opened on Zhibek Zholy Street. Here, they accepted contributions from investors, explained the program terms, provided consultations, and answered questions. Life went on.

T. Nurken continued working to attract more investors to the developed projects, addressing them with video messages in which he explained in detail how the programs worked and what an investor needed to do to reach a certain level, where the corresponding dividends were higher, or there was a chance to get a car or an apartment. In addition, connecting participants to group video chats in the Telegram messenger, he conducted webinars, where he also explained the program terms and answered their questions.

The number of investors increased daily across Kazakhstan. The financial pyramid was gaining momentum, attracting more and more funds. This required control and distribution.

In March 2023, T. Nurken offered his friend B. Yerlan, whom he had known since their student days, to work with him. Letting him in on the plan, he explained the essence of the programs and the goals of obtaining criminal income.

B. Yerlan, driven by selfish motives of personal gain, began to perform the functions of director of "Asar Baspana," attending the openings of regional offices as a representative alongside T. Nurken. He collected investors' funds from regional directors and participated in the appointment of regional branch directors.

(to be continued)

Akmaral ABDULOVA