Turkey targets international fraud network linked to Israel, detains 175 suspects
Istanbul, Sept 18 (KUNA) -- Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlak announced on Friday the arrest of 175 out of 239 suspects against whom arrest warrants had been issued as part of an investigation targeting an international foreign exchange (forex) fraud network linked to the Israeli occupation.
In a statement on the Turkish platform X (formerly Twitter), Gurlak said that four separate investigations conducted by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office earlier this year uncovered evidence that companies operating under the guise of “call centers” defrauded citizens of foreign countries through online advertisements and social media platforms, promising high returns from forex and cryptocurrency investments.
He clarified that the investigation was coordinated by the Terrorism Financing and Money Laundering Investigation Office of the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office, in collaboration between the Organized Crime Department of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in Istanbul and the Cybercrime Branch of the Istanbul Security Directorate.
Gurlak added that analyses by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board, along with findings from intelligence and police agencies and hundreds of victim complaints collected through Interpol, revealed that individuals linked to the Israeli occupation constituted the majority of the owners and ultimate beneficiaries of these companies, thereby exposing an organized fraud scheme targeting various countries.
He confirmed that the network lured victims into its system using customer service staff who spoke different languages, then displayed fake profits on investment platforms controlled by the suspects to persuade them to deposit more funds.
When victims requested to withdraw their money, the network demanded additional payments under pretexts such as “account freezing” and “taxes,” before transferring the deposited funds to bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets abroad.
He noted that the network, which targeted numerous countries, particularly in Europe, the Far East, and Africa, had transaction volumes reaching approximately 13 billion Turkish lira (around $266 million) over two years, in operations believed to cover only office expenses and salary payments.
He emphasized that based on these findings, a coordinated operation began this morning, involving Interpol units, targeting 42 call centers belonging to 28 companies and 239 suspects across 286 addresses in Istanbul and Mugla. Raids were conducted on the call centers, and 175 suspects have been arrested so far, with operations and efforts to apprehend the remaining wanted individuals continuing. (End)
