15.09.2025 14:40
Halil İbrahim Sarıaltun from Kahramanmaraş shared his bank card and mobile banking information with a friend while studying at university. When Sarıaltun's friend left school, 10 separate lawsuits were filed against him on charges of fraud. Sarıaltun, who faces a total of up to 100 years in prison, had his first sentence upheld. Meanwhile, his lawyer made noteworthy statements.
Halil İbrahim Sarıaltun, while studying at Gümüşhane University in 2022, allegedly gave his friend U.P. his bank card and mobile banking password after U.P. claimed that his card was blocked and that his family would send him money. After a while, U.P. informed Sarıaltun that he would go to his hometown because his mother was unwell and left the school. Shortly after his friend left, a police officer calling from the center informed Sarıaltun that there was a complaint against him. Learning that he was accused of defrauding someone at the center, Sarıaltun stated that he had given his friend the card and mobile banking information of the bank account to which the victim had sent money and that he was unaware of the money that had come into his account. A few days later, many people who claimed to have been defrauded under the pretense of a soap packaging job also filed complaints, and investigations began against Sarıaltun. As a result of the investigations, 10 separate cases were opened against Halil İbrahim Sarıaltun for the crime of 'Qualified Fraud' in heavy penal courts in Antalya, Konya, Malatya, Batman, Ankara, Düzce, and İzmir.
FIRST SENTENCE UPHELD
Sarıaltun, who faces a total of up to 100 years in prison in the cases opened against him, denied the accusations during the hearings, stating that his only crime was trusting his friend U.P. and giving him his bank card and mobile banking password, and requested acquittal. Sarıaltun, who attended a hearing every month, was sentenced to 3 years, 1 month, and 15 days in prison along with a fine of 2,000 TL in February at the 9th Heavy Penal Court of Konya. In the same case, U.P., whom Halil İbrahim Sarıaltun accused, stated that he did not take anyone's card and that he was falsely accused. U.P. was found innocent by the court and acquitted. Sarıaltun appealed the decision and sent the file to the appellate court. The 8th Criminal Chamber of the Konya Regional Court of Justice, which evaluated the appeal, found the local court's decision accurate and unanimously upheld the ruling.
DETAIL OF 'BASE SIGNAL' IN THE EXPERT REPORT
In the ongoing case at the 10th Heavy Penal Court of Ankara, after Sarıaltun's allegations, the court sent the file to an expert. In the 13-page report prepared by the expert, it was determined that the phone number associated with Halil İbrahim Sarıaltun's bank account belonged to U.P., that it emitted a base signal in the ATM area at the times the money was withdrawn, and that Sarıaltun's phone emitted a base signal in Gaziantep at the same times. Halil İbrahim Sarıaltun's lawyer, Kemal Yavuz, stated that his client was completely a victim of his friend. Yavuz noted that his client had no financial benefit from the money taken from the defrauded victims and from giving his bank card to his friend, and added that the Sarıaltun family had compensated the victims by paying them back.
"THERE ARE 9 SEPARATE CASES"
Lawyer Yavuz stated, "When you look at the phone that was contacted, it does not belong to my client, but since the money came to my client's account, what is held is my client. And actually, those who run this fraud as a network remain innocent in the background. Their reports have come out. When you look at these reports, if you consider the examinations, my client is neither the one who met this person nor the one who requested the money transfer, but the money comes to his account, and later the one who withdraws the money or transfers it to other accounts is not my client either. Although the person who withdrew the money from the ATM is a woman, the phone of the friend who asked for the card emits a signal in the ATM area. Not every time; there are 9 separate cases, and in almost all of these 9 cases, the same person's phone emits a signal in the ATM area. Despite this, that person is acquitted, my client is convicted, the appellate court approves it, and he is currently detained in prison with a sentence of over 3 years," he said.
"A NEW JURISPRUDENCE SHOULD BE DEVELOPED"
Kemal Yavuz stated that there are thousands of cases like Halil İbrahim Sarıaltun's in Turkey, saying: "We have dozens of cases like my client's situation, and there are thousands, tens of thousands of people who have been victimized in this way across Turkey. Especially fraudsters who operate around university cafes take these kinds of cards. After taking the students' cards along with their passwords, they use these accounts in such frauds. The people who use them are actually known. Despite these people's identification, only punishing the account holder by saying, 'the money has come to your account. I caught you, I will punish you,' leads to a great injustice. Moreover, my client has compensated for his losses. My client's father has covered all the damages in the 9 cases. Who is the real victim now? He has no financial benefit, has compensated all the damages, and is under the pressure of a large sentence of 27 years. This is unacceptable. This is our call. There are thousands of similar crimes in Turkey. A new jurisprudence should be developed. It is necessary to recognize and remedy the victimization of these students, especially those who allow their cards to be used."
"HE IS BEING PUNISHED FOR TRUSTING HIS FRIEND"
Halil İbrahim Sarıaltun's sister, Hümeyra Sarıaltun, who lives in Gaziantep, said, "My brother gives his card and mobile banking passwords to his classmate while studying Physical Education teaching at Gümüşhane University. He tells my brother that there is a problem with his card and that he needs a card. Then he commits fraud. Because he is the cardholder, my brother is punished, but he is acquitted. The person who committed this crime is outside, while my brother is inside. We want this to be resolved somehow. My brother is in prison, and he is a victim because he trusted his friend and is being punished. We want this to come to a solution."