The Main Department for Combating Cybercrime under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan has successfully apprehended an individual involved in the unauthorized access of business accounts belonging to various legal entities. The suspect reportedly utilized specialized software to illicitly gain access to funds.
According to information provided to the Operative Information Center-OMM by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the suspect, identified as Zakir Nahmadov (born 2008), was detained following a series of operational and technical measures.
Investigations revealed that Nahmadov developed custom software to harvest identification credentials for business accounts belonging to several limited liability companies (LLCs). By exploiting these credentials, he sent electronic verification requests to gain access to the accounts. Once these requests were inadvertently approved by the victims without verifying the source, Nahmadov gained unauthorized access and misappropriated the funds. To conceal the origin of the illicit proceeds, he converted the stolen money into cryptocurrency. Preliminary findings indicate that Nahmadov caused over 100,000 manats in damages to the victims.
A criminal case has been initiated under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and investigations are currently ongoing.
This incident highlights the growing importance of cybersecurity awareness for businesses in Azerbaijan. As digital transformation accelerates across the country, law enforcement agencies, particularly the Ministry of Internal Affairs, have intensified efforts to combat cybercrime, emphasizing the need for robust authentication protocols and vigilance against phishing and unauthorized access attempts.
