Mass cyber fraud raids across Türkiye: Over 60 arrested

In a large-scale operation launched across 13 provinces and coordinated from Istanbul, 67 suspects have been detained for allegedly committing cyber fraud.

The investigation, led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, revealed that the suspects defrauded numerous victims through various schemes, including "forex investment scams", "point-of-sale (POS) fraud by replicating legitimate websites", and "online gambling operations," Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media.

According to the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), 102 individuals were identified as being involved in laundering the proceeds of crime.

This included accountants managing front companies and converting illicit gains into cryptocurrency.

These funds, amounting to approximately 7 billion Turkish lira, were then transferred abroad via currency exchange offices in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar.

Police forces conducted simultaneous raids in 13 provinces, resulting in the detention of 67 suspects.

Authorities have confirmed that five suspects are currently abroad and three are already in prison. Efforts to apprehend the remaining 27 fugitives are ongoing.

Additionally, assets worth a total of 150 million Turkish lira have been seized by court order.

These include suspects’ bank accounts, holdings with electronic money institutions, 22 vehicles, 17 motorbikes, and 9 properties.

By Aghakazim Guliyev