Khaberni - As Turks turn to online shopping, fraud incidents repeatedly occur among many, amid continuous government warnings about first verifying the websites and online shopping platforms before making any digital payments especially after many of them have experienced fraud before when buying digital currencies. However, the latest fraud incident shook the public opinion in Turkey after being circulated on media and social networking sites.
In the shocking details for Turkish communities, the recently uncovered fraud network relied on artificial intelligence, where fraudsters used AI-generated images as a new trick. It was revealed that the suspects lured users into a trap using fake accounts of women and in this way, they managed to steal at least 483 million Turkish Lira.
Cybercrime teams from Kocaeli State Police in Turkey started an investigation regarding an organization described as "criminal" led by "B.I.A." according to Turkish media, which indicated that surveillance cameras and personal monitoring showed that the organization, operated from Kocaeli, runs illegal betting and gambling activities through 5 different applications.
3 months of continuous investigation
The police conducted continuous monitoring for 3 months to expose the organization. The surveillance conclusively proved that the organization is managed from Kocaeli, but its leadership is spread across different Turkish states.
After the monitoring, the organization's leader, known as "B.I.A.," was spotted in Kayseri, and was arrested in a security operation hours before.
483 million Turkish Lira in financial transactions
The financial investigations revealed that the total volume of transactions in the suspects' bank accounts amounted to 483,844,873 Turkish Lira in the year 2025.
It was revealed that the crime proceeds were laundered through digital currency trading platforms, and transferred to a company established by the organization's members abroad specifically in the United Kingdom.
Turkish security teams launched a simultaneous operation in 28 provinces on January 20th, where 61 suspects were arrested in the operation. The detainees, after having their statements taken at the Kocaeli Police Directorate, were referred to the Korfez Court after completing the procedures on Friday, where 24 of them were detained, and the police decided to put the others under surveillance.
This incident is not the first of its kind in Turkey, as the country has witnessed similar incidents where hundreds fell victims after being defrauded materially through applications and websites.
