Attention to tobacco rolling advertisements at home: They carry fraud and legal risks.

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The increase in advertisements on the internet under the title 'Making Money by Rolling Tobacco at Home', despite the fact that the sale of ready-to-smoke shredded tobacco is prohibited, has drawn attention. The advertisements for 'home tobacco rolling' that women, unaware of the ban, are interested in for extra income have become a new trap for scammers.

SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF SMUGGLED TOBACCO CAPTURED

According to data from the Ministry of Trade; the amount of tobacco seized at customs, which was 33,369 tons in 2018, rose to 100,393 tons in the January-August period of this year. Customs Enforcement teams prevented the illegal entry of cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, rolling paper, and filters worth 247 million 880 thousand 943 lira during the same period. In Turkey, where 27.6% of the population over the age of 15 smokes, shredded tobacco, as well as rolling paper, filters, rolling machines, and hookah tobacco, are sold in tobacco shops. Smokers prepare the tobacco for smoking by rolling it by hand or using a machine that can roll a single cigarette.

On the other hand, it is illegal to sell shredded tobacco that has been filled into tubes or rolled in leaf cigarette paper. Despite the ban, the open sale of cigarettes in tobacco shops has become widespread. In shops, open cigarettes rolled by women using machines or by hand are usually offered for sale at a price per pack.

"IT IS ILLEGAL TO PREPARE TOBACCO FOR SALE"

Recently, there has been an increase in advertisements targeting women who are unaware that they are committing a crime due to the illegal nature of their work and earnings, as they labor to prepare unprocessed, smuggled tobacco for sale. Women have become targets of scammers on social media with advertisement titles like 'Making Money by Rolling Tobacco at Home'.

WOMEN ARE BECOMING VICTIMS

Those who apply for the home tobacco rolling job send the money requested by the malicious individuals who posted the advertisement as a starting fee or become victims due to the non-payment of the fee for the rolled packages. Some also send a small amount of money to a bank account, after which they obtain the victims' personal information during subsequent conversations and use it for money laundering purposes.

"WARNING OF 'PRISON SENTENCE'"

Neşet Gündüz, President of the Consumers Union Antalya Branch, stated, "We see tobacco rolling advertisements on the internet. Victims initially send their IBAN number for a certain fee to be paid. After a while, they are deceived with the claim 'we will send our devices, and you will make money by rolling tobacco', and they gain access to their personal information. The tobacco rolling job is a crime. There is a prison sentence of 3-5 years. Do not become both a criminal and a victim of scammers by doing this job. These advertisements should be reported. People are misled into believing these advertisements for extra income without knowing that the tobacco rolling job is illegal. There is interest in these advertisements due to hearsay, such as 'the neighbor does it and earns money'. It is a crime to prepare smuggled shredded tobacco for sale."