13.10.2025 16:55
Azerbaijani architecture student Saida Karimova was scammed while trying to rent an apartment she found online after coming to Istanbul for her master's degree. Believing she had rented an apartment in Beşiktaş for six months, the young woman sent $8,000, but when she arrived in Istanbul, she found neither the apartment nor the landlord. The scammer tried to gain her trust by sending a fake identity; the police have launched an investigation into the incident.
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Azerbaijani woman who came to Turkey for a master's degree was shocked while trying to rent a house. The woman, who paid 8 thousand dollars for 6 months' rent for the house she found on the internet, was left outside with her suitcases.
The incident occurred on October 1 in Beşiktaş Ortaköy neighborhood. According to the information obtained, architecture student Saida Karimova (24), who came to Turkey from Azerbaijan for her master's degree, wanted to rent a house. On August 23, she contacted the realtor Mustafa Boğaçhan K. through a real estate advertisement she found online.
After the agreement, she sent 8 thousand dollars. When she arrived at the house about two months later, she found no one there. When she asked those around her, she learned that such a house did not exist. The young woman went to the police station to file a complaint. The police are continuing their investigations regarding the incident.
"WHEN I SAID I WOULD CALL THE POLICE..."
Saida Karimova, who explained that she came to Turkey from Azerbaijan for her master's degree and was defrauded while trying to rent a house, said: "I live in Baku, I came here to do my master's. I am doing my master's at Bahçeşehir University. I had 6 months left, so I wanted to rent a house in Beşiktaş. I saw a house on a real estate site and wanted to rent it. They said they wouldn't rent it for a year. They said they would give another house for 6 months and sent me the photos. We started talking over WhatsApp. I liked the house and rented it in August. They sent me the landlord's IBAN, and I sent the six-month rent. When we arrived on October 1, they told us that the landlord would be late and that we should wait in a café. We waited for them for 4 hours, but no one came. At the end of 4 hours, when I said I would call the police, the man came and placed us in a hotel. He said he couldn't reach the landlord."
"HE KEPT STALLING US BY SAYING HE COULDN'T REACH THE LANDLORD"
When she asked for her money back, Karimova stated that the fraudster started to make excuses: "In the following days, he tried to stall us in this way. The landlord supposedly was coming from Bodrum, and then he wouldn't answer the phone. In the morning, he told me that a demolition order had been issued for the house, and that was why the landlord wouldn't give us the house. Meanwhile, we were staying in a hotel. In the end, he told me he would rent a new house for me. He said the money was with him and that the debt was his. A few days later, when I asked for the money back in cash, he started to postpone it with excuses. We stayed in constant communication, he always answered my calls. This situation has been going on for almost 12-13 days."
HE TRIED TO GAIN TRUST BY SENDING HIS IDENTITY
Karimova, who stated that the neighbors and shopkeepers did not recognize such a house, expressed that the fraudster even sent his identity information to gain trust: "In the end, he sent a photo of his ID, saying, 'If I were a fraudster, I wouldn't do this.' When I saw the last name of that man, I realized that he was a relative of the person to whom we sent money to the IBAN because they have the same last name. First, he said the money was with the landlord, then he said it was with him. Now he continues to stall by saying he doesn't have the money and that he will sell his gold to pay off his debt. We filed a complaint with the police a few days ago. Right now, I have rented an apartment and I am staying there for a month.
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