11.11.2026 16:02
Emine Gönül H., 78, living in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, handed over $120,000 in cash in a park to scammers who introduced themselves on the phone as security officers and said her name was involved in a terrorism financing investigation. The suspects also had the woman sell her 7.5 million lira house in Eyüpsultan for 6.5 million lira and transferred the money to their own accounts. Nine suspects, two of them jewelers, were detained in the operation.
Emine Gönül H., 78, living in Beşiktaş, fell into the trap of scammers who introduced themselves as "police." Following the complaint of the unfortunate woman, who lost 120 thousand dollars in cash and her house worth 7.5 million to the scammers, teams from the Public Order Branch Directorate Fraud Bureau took action and caught and detained 9 suspects, 2 of whom were jewelers.
The incident occurred in Beşiktaş. According to the information obtained, the suspects called 78-year-old Emine Gönül H., whose only son lives in England, by phone and targeted the elderly woman. The scammers, who introduced themselves as security forces, told the elderly woman that her identity information had been compromised and that her name was involved in an operation with a terrorist organization. The scammers, who said an investigation was being carried out about her and that the money in her bank accounts was being used to finance terrorism, convinced the elderly woman to believe them. The scammers kept the elderly woman on the phone for a long time, preventing her from speaking with anyone else, and guided her step by step.
SHE HANDED OVER 120 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CASH IN A PARK
Panicked, Emine Gönül H. withdrew approximately 120 thousand dollars from the bank and, in line with the suspects' instructions, handed it over in person in a park. To confirm that the money was ready, the suspects had the elderly woman withdraw money from the bank and asked for a photo of it; at the meeting in the park, they set the password as "Your Money Is Safe." When the elderly woman said the password, the suspects took the money and also had her send additional money from the account.
THEY HAD HER HOUSE SOLD FOR 6.5 MILLION LIRA
Not content with the fraud, the suspects continued meeting with the elderly woman and had Emine Gönül H.'s house in Eyüpsultan sold. The elderly woman, who sold the house with a normal market value of 7 million 500 thousand lira for 6 million 500 thousand lira, sent the proceeds from the sale to 3 separate accounts of the scammers. The suspects prolonged the process by saying they were holding the money to keep it safe during the investigation. After a while, the elderly woman called the scammers to get her money back but could not reach them; she realized the truth and applied to the police.
9 SUSPECTS, 2 OF THEM JEWELERS, CAUGHT
In the work carried out by teams of the Public Order Branch Directorate Fraud Bureau, the addresses of the suspects were identified. In the operation, a total of 9 people, 2 of them jewelers, were caught and detained. It was determined that the scammers transferred the proceeds of the fraud they obtained abroad via cryptocurrency. The suspects, whose procedures at the police station were completed, were referred to the courthouse.
Some security camera footage of the fraud incident, in which 9 people were detained, has emerged. The footage includes moments when the scammers went to the woman's house, went to exchange the 120 thousand dollars they received from the elderly woman, and withdrew the money from the house sale from the bank via their own accounts.