Scam Empire: Inside A Merciless International Investment Scam
An unprecedented leak exposes the inner workings of a global investment-scam industry, where ruthless call center agents make millions while destroying lives around the world.
What do 1.9 terabytes of leaked documents, records of money flows, and audio recordings from inside scam call centers reveal?
The merciless world of professional scammers, who steal their victimsβ life savings β and then come back for more.
Inside #ScamEmpireπ
www.occrp.org/en/project/s...
05.03.2025 08:10
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Miranda Patrucic, @occrp.orgβs editor in chief, sat down with Belgian journalists from Knack to discuss the severe consequences of the Trump administrationβs decision to cut funding for investigative journalism. Read the full conversation in English: www.occrp.org/en/feature/w...
28.02.2025 15:43
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Cuts at USAID and Elsewhere Strain Global Journalism
Investigative journalists around the world relied on funding from the U.S. Now, those watchdogs are scrambling to survive a sudden cash crunch.
Small, non-profit media around the world were defunded in the USGβs destruction of foreign assistance. Many are the only remaining independent media left in countries. That only helps autocrats and the corrupt.
26.02.2025 13:03
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CPI 2024 for Eastern Europe & Central Asia: Vicious cycle of weakβ¦
Corruption continues to plague Eastern Europe and Central Asia, scoring one of the lowest averages on the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index at 35/100.
Kyrgyzstan: "constitutional changes significantly expanding presidential authority, weakening parliamentary oversight and facilitating unchecked corruption."
I would also add that eliminating govt procurement system has worsened corruption β state payments to companies are now nearly untraceable
12.02.2025 19:43
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π§΅ Just before midnight, OCCRP's EIC @mirandaoccrp.bsky.social
got a letter from @mshellenberger.bsky.social making clear he intended to write another conspiratorial article about us.
Before we even had time to wrap our heads around this garbled array of accusations, he'd published a hit piece.
12.02.2025 17:52
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Authoritarian learning in practice:
Kazakhstani MP proposes to adopt a 'Foreign Agent' law to protect the county's national interests from the activities of organizations like USAID.
vlast.kz/novosti/6381...
12.02.2025 11:38
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It seems neither the Trump administration nor Elon Musk truly understand how independent investigative journalism works. We uncover wrongdoing, investigate it, publish our findings, and move on.
@abelf.bsky.social explained it perfectly, read it
12.02.2025 13:49
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Authoritarian leaders in former Soviet bloc seize on Muskβs USAid crackdown
Regionβs autocrats join in persecution of agency that provided aid and helped to build up civil society in 1990s
Muskβs moves to dismantle USAID and shut down RFE/RL are winning cheers from autocrats: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Seeing another chance to silence free press, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov urged backing Musk to close RFE/RLβs local bureau, Azattyk -- famous for its critical coverage.
12.02.2025 13:43
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Investigative Reporting Is Free Speech, Not βTreasonβ
I wrote a story that was cited by a whistleblower complaint that led to Donald Trumpβs first impeachment. Now, itβs being used to attack foreign aid and the free press as part of a conspiracy theory. ...
@abelf.bsky.social wrote a @occrp.org story that was cited by a whistleblower complaint that led to Donald Trumpβs first impeachment. Now, itβs being used to attack foreign aid and the free press as part of a conspiracy theory. Hereβs what really happened. www.occrp.org/en/feature/i...
12.02.2025 12:19
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Nonprofits Sue Trump Administration to Reverse Freeze on Foreign Aid Funding - Public Citizen
WASHINGTON D.C. β Today, Public Citizen filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia againstβ¦
OCCRP has sued Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, the U.S. Department of State and USAID for illegally halting grants that were funding small investigative media around the world. The halt defunded what is often the last remaining independent media in some countries.
11.02.2025 07:18
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Scientists and journalists need to figure out right quick how to explain to the average person how a massive change in research indirects will impact the medical care they and their children get (eg at the local childrenβs hospital), the education their children will get, the price of tuition, etc.
08.02.2025 01:35
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I feel like most coverage of the current US agenda lacks focus on its real impact on people
1. Cutting international aid -> leads to deaths and job losses worldwide
2. Raising import tariffs -> ultimately, Americans will pay more for goods
Don't get lost in the nuances β put people first
02.02.2025 19:36
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Meydan TV's statement regarding latest arrests of journalists - MEYDAN.TV
On Friday, 6 December 2024, beginning around 1pm Baku local ... Read more
Following #COP29 when the world is not watching anymore five independent journalists were jailed today in Baku, #Azerbaijan. A crackdown on Meydan TV. Free Aynur Elgunesh and #FreeThemAll!
www.meydan.tv/en/article/m...
06.12.2024 18:19
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A Final Deal Along Central Asiaβs Deadliest Border - The Times Of Central Asia
It took some 33 years, but on December 4, Kyrgyz and Tajik officials reached a final agreement on delimitation of the last sections of their 972-kilometer
Piece by @pannierb.bsky.social A Final Deal Along Central Asiaβs Deadliest Border timesca.com/a-final-deal... #CentralAsia #BorderSecurity #Geopolitics #ConflictResolution #BorderIssues #SecurityAnalysis #PoliticalInsights #Eurasia #Kyrgyzstan #Tajikistan
05.12.2024 14:36
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Law Enforcement Conducted a Search and Seizure at the Home of IStories Editor-in-Chief Alesya Marokhovskayaβs Parents
A criminal case was opened against her under the βforeign agencyβ article
This is alarming: Law enforcement conducted a search and seizure at the home of the parents of Alesya Marokhovskaya - the editor-in-chief of @occrp.bsky.social member center Istories. A criminal case was opened against her under the βforeign agencyβ article. istories.media/en/news/2024...
05.12.2024 11:27
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It took them a "months-long investigation" to locate the "About Us" page on the OCCRP website. In Central Asia, only pro-government or pro-Russian news outlets usually engage in such things
04.12.2024 20:52
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I think I've made up my mind: I will use BlueSky for professional and semi-professional content, and Threads will be for hobbies and other casual stuff
04.12.2024 20:35
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I hope this becomes a better space for all of us
I feel a strong urge to express my thoughts and share ideas, but other social media platforms seem dead to me when it comes to civilized conversations
Itβs not my first time starting over. So, ak-jol to new beginnings! π
04.12.2024 20:31
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