Azeri security officers expose phone service fakers
BAKU – Azerbaijan’s National Security Ministry has exposed persons who illegally provided phone services and caused damage worth about 141,000 manats ($176,000) to the Communications and Information Technologies Ministry, the ministry said Monday.
Farid Sheykhov and a Russian citizen who has yet to be identified had agreed to carry out business activity without state registration.
In March, Sheykhov and his fellows, using special equipment, connected to the equipment providing one-sided telephone conversations and owned by cellular operator Azercell Telecom. Thus, they organized illegal international telephone services to earn hefty profits. They purchased special GSM equipment and began illegal activities by installing this equipment in rented apartments in Baku.
They purchased 112 cellular numbers of Azercell Telecom on behalf of various people and connected them to the assigned equipment in the apartments. Thus, entering the Internet without passing registration at the telephone exchanges of the communications ministry, they arranged an international one-way telephone connection to the country's internal network.
Security officers found the device while searching the apartments. The damage caused to the ministry is estimated at 118,000 manats ($147,500).
The ministry's officers have also revealed a similar crime. In early August, Turkish citizens Yilmaz Yakup and Harun Mihalic illegally used special equipment to connect to Azercell Telecom’s equipment providing one-sided phone conversations to earn big profits. They purchased GSM equipment and installed it in rented apartments in Baku. Then they rented an Internet channel and started their illegal activities.
Yakup, Mihalic and others purchased 56 Azercell numbers and connected them to the special equipment. Thus, illegally accessing the Internet, they organized an international one-way telephone connection.
The officers found the device while searching the apartments. They caused damage worth 23,000 manats ($28,700) to the communications ministry.
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