Turkish police have detained 423 suspects on charges of involvement in various illegal online schemes as part of a criminal gang. Including the organization of illegal online gambling and the use of Turkish citizens’ bank accounts to support online casinos and betting sites.
The Prosecutor General’s Office and the Cybercrime Department of the Police General Directorate organized raids that detained 423 suspects in 52 provinces.
Evidence collected by the police indicated that the network was well organized and spread throughout Turkey. The suspects used various fraudulent schemes via social media and phishing sites:
- Fake investments on Forex and cryptocurrencies, gift card fraud, deposit schemes for car rentals, fictitious bungalow rentals, sale of fake goods, and digital pyramid schemes.
- Supplied infrastructure for illegal online gambling;
- Used citizens’ bank accounts to support betting sites, online casinos, and money laundering.
Police seized $127 million worth of property, including unlicensed firearms, hard drives, servers, cell phones, bank cards and other evidence.
“Both on land and in cyberspace, we continue to resolutely fight crime and criminals with our virtual patrols,” said Ali Yerlikaya, Minister of Interior of the Republic of Turkey.
About the suspects: 145 have been arrested, 128 have been placed under judicial control. The rest are still under investigation. This number is expected to increase with new evidence.
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