17.06.2026 16:21
Tunay Akgül, who saw a car with 25,000 kilometers on online ads in Elazığ and bought it for 2,570,000 lira, learned when he went to the service that the car had its 150,000-kilometer maintenance done in May 2026. Devastated, Akgül went to the courthouse and filed a complaint.
Tunay Akgül (44), father of two living in Elazig, reportedly decided to buy a car with all his savings. Browsing car ads online, Akgül contacted a gallery in Istanbul's Umraniye for a 2023 model Skoda Superb.
EVEN THE EXPERT COULDN'T TELL When Akgül learned the car had only 25,000 kilometers, he called his uncle living there and asked him to go and check the car. His uncle went to the gallery, took the car, and went to an auto expert. After the expert's inspection, learning the car had 25,000 kilometers, Akgül went to Istanbul on May 21 to buy the car. After the notary procedures, Akgül went to his uncle's house with his newly purchased car and wanted to inspect it in detail. Seeing stone chips on the front parts of the hood, Akgül went to the car service as soon as he returned to Elazig and had the car checked. The inspections revealed that the car had undergone its 150,000-kilometer maintenance in May 2026. Thereupon, Akgül called the gallery where he bought the car, claiming he was scammed and demanding his money back. Initially saying the money would be refunded, the gallery officials later stopped answering his phone calls, and Akgül took the matter to the courthouse.
"WHEN SENDING THE MONEY, THEY MADE ME WRITE 'CASH BORROWED' IN THE DESCRIPTION" Tunay Akgül, stating that he saw the car on an internet site on May 20, said, "We called and negotiated. We agreed on 2 million 570 thousand lira. Since it was in Istanbul, I directed my uncle. My uncle took the car to the expert. At the expert, the car was 25,000 kilometers as they said. I had previously spoken with the expert, saying 'If you suspect anything, do the highest package; it might have high mileage. Can you tell?' They said 'We can tell.' When my uncle confirmed it was as they said, I went from here to Istanbul on May 21 to buy the car. There, we dealt with someone named Hüseyin. He said the car belonged to Hasan Y., that he left it with them, and they would sell it. I didn't inspect the car then, since we had shown it to the expert. We went to the notary; they wrote a sale price of 2 million 570 thousand lira. Since I didn't understand secure payment, they said 'We'll handle it' and took my phone. They were sending the money, and I got a message saying 'Cancelled.' I can transfer up to 5 million. When it didn't work, they told me 'Send 2 million from here.' I said 'We're cheating the state on taxes,' and they replied 'The insurance value is high; they take the sale price from there.' I asked the notary, and they said the same, so I agreed and sent 2 million to Hasan. The car's power of attorney was with Cihan A.; when we got to the gallery, they said 'Send the 570 thousand to Cihan.' I said 'I'll send it to the owner of the registration,' and they said 'The power of attorney is with Cihan; you can send all the money if you want.' When sending the money, they made me write 'Cash borrowed' in the description," he said.
"WHEN I LEARNED THE CAR HAD 150,000 KM, MY WORLD COLLAPSED" Akgül, stating that he took the car and went to his uncle's house, said, "When I looked carefully in front of the house, I saw stone chips on the hood. I don't know much about cars, but it's not normal for a car with 25,000 km to have that many stone chips. As soon as I returned to Elazig, I went to the Skoda dealer. I gave the registration and ID to learn its history. From the history, I learned that the car had undergone maintenance at 150,000 km on May 7, 2026. Hearing this, my world collapsed. I called the gallery, explained the situation; they said 'Impossible.' I said 'Take the car back, give me my money.' They said 'Of course, brother, we'll do it, but after the holiday.' They started stalling. After the holiday, they didn't answer my calls. I wrote on a complaint site. After the complaint, I received an incredible number of calls. Similarly, a friend in Istanbul bought a 2023 Superb, supposedly with 30,000 km, but the car had 236,000 km. The automotive company in Istanbul's Umraniye, starting with A and ending with M, currently has 5 cars listed. They are also 2023 models with mileage between 20-30 thousand. I am absolutely sure all their mileages have been rolled back. I got burned, and I don't want others to get burned. I beg the authorities; this money is not easily earned. I earn 40 thousand lira today working in the private sector. I was scammed for about 900 thousand lira. Even if I never spend a penny, I can only save that much in 2 years. These people sentenced me to 2 years. They ate my children's rights. I want them to be punished as well. This crime carries a prison sentence of 3 to 10 years. They act confident as if they won't get any punishment. They say 'Go complain,' these are gangs. There are many victims," he said.
LAWYER SEPTIOGLU: WE HAVE STARTED LEGAL PROCESSES Lawyer Merve Septioğlu, stating that this involves a car with tampered mileage, said, "This situation is not just a defective goods dispute. Hiding the car's mileage, making false statements, and thus obtaining unjust gains constitutes the crime of 'qualified fraud' under the Turkish Penal Code. We have initiated legal and criminal processes both to remedy the victimization and to prevent the public from being misled. We believe the investigating authorities will conduct the necessary examinations and the suspects will be punished. On the legal side, we have resorted to all necessary legal means to compensate our client's damages. We are following the process step by step, meticulously. We have full faith that justice will prevail and those who commit crimes will be punished in the harshest manner," she said.