Türkiye has detained 175 suspects in a major crackdown on an international fraud network whose companies were largely owned or ultimately controlled by individuals linked to Israel, Justice Minister Akin Gürlek said on Friday.
Gurlek said the findings emerged from four investigations launched this year by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into companies operating call centres that used social media and online advertisements to lure foreign nationals with promises of high returns from forex and cryptocurrency investments.
The minister said the investigation uncovered an organised operation targeting victims in multiple countries.
Fake profits, withdrawal demands used to defraud victims
According to Gurlek, multilingual customer representatives brought victims into the system and directed them to investment platforms controlled by the suspects.
Investigators found that the platforms allegedly displayed fake profits to persuade victims to deposit additional funds. When victims attempted to withdraw their money, they were told they needed to pay extra amounts for reasons including account restrictions and taxes.
The funds were then transferred to bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets abroad, Gurlek said.
The investigation was coordinated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Terrorism Financing and Money Laundering Crimes Investigation Bureau, in cooperation with Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the Organized Crime Department and Istanbul police cybercrime units.
MASAK financial analyses, intelligence and police findings, along with hundreds of complaints from victims obtained through Interpol, were used in the investigation, according to Gurlek.
286 locations targeted in simultaneous raids
Authorities launched simultaneous operations at 5 am on Friday targeting 28 companies, 42 call centres and 239 suspects at 286 addresses across Istanbul and Mugla.
By 10 am, authorities had raided the call centres and detained 175 suspects, Gurlek said. The operation and efforts to apprehend additional suspects were continuing.
Gurlek did not provide further details about the identities of the Israeli-linked individuals or say whether they were among those detained.
