They scammed an elderly couple out of 15 million lira
In Küçükçekmece, Istanbul, 68-year-old Muammer Çatıkkaş Silsüpür and his spouse fell victim to fraudsters posing as police officers. The fraudsters convinced the couple to sell their property, worth 15 million TL, for 5 million TL. The couple claimed that they were hypnotized during the incident.
The fraudsters called the Çatıkkaş family, threatening them with claims that fake ID cards had been issued in their names and that they were being pursued by a criminal gang. They convinced the family to participate in a secret operation and to sell all their assets. Under pressure from the fraudsters, the couple was forced to sell their real estate far below market value.
On Monday, May 27, Muammer Çatıkkaş Silsüpür was contacted by phone by fraudsters pretending to be a chief inspector from Gayrettepe Police Department. The fake police told Çatıkkaş that a fake ID had been issued in his name and that a fictitious real estate agency had been opened in Kastamonu to conduct bogus sales. Believing they were caught in a serious criminal operation, Muammer Çatıkkaş and his spouse Kadir Silsüpür sold their properties to safeguard their assets. A property in Tosya, Kastamonu, worth 15 million TL, was sold for 5 million TL. The fraudsters convinced the family to remain silent about the operation, and after two months of intense phone communications, they instructed Kadir Silsüpür to go to Çankırı to hand over the money. After realizing the truth, the family filed a complaint with the police.
“THEY TOLD US TO KEEP IT SECRET”
Muammer Çatıkkaş Silsüpür said, "I received a phone call from someone claiming to be Chief Inspector Mehmet Öztürk from Gayrettepe. He said I had lost my ID. I checked my bag and said, 'No, I haven't lost it.' Then he sent me a WhatsApp message with my ID details and a photo of a woman, saying my ID was stolen and being used. He sent a business card and said, 'They will sell the properties under your name; you are caught by a gang.' They said, 'They will sell your assets; let’s secure them.' They kept sending messages morning and night. They told me, 'Do not tell anyone; this is a secret operation.' They said, 'We have been tracking this for six months, and we will take them down. Don’t even tell your children.' We didn’t say anything to anyone out of fear. A week later, we went to our hometown. Even on the way, they told us to take the property deeds with us. They gave me the name and number of a real estate agent. I called the agent, saying, 'I found your number online.' I handed over the deeds to sell the properties. I didn’t even negotiate because they told us, 'Once your new ID is issued, it will be returned to you. The buyers will not be harmed. The prosecutor will call and refund their money.' We sold them this way. Three people kept in touch with us, telling us not to tell our children, that the gang might harm them or escape abroad. Fearing this, we didn’t tell anyone, and we lost everything. After realizing what happened, it was too late; we lost our home and land. I am asking for help from my government, my President, the Minister of Interior, and the Minister of Justice. These people should not go unpunished. We are losing sleep day and night. We fear for our health. We want them caught. A person's loss is not surprising to someone who gains. We didn’t sell willingly."
“MY WIFE AND I WERE HYPNOTIZED”
Kadir Silsüpür said, "We sold my wife’s inherited land and house. They asked us to convert the money to dollars. They told us not to accept Turkish lira because fake Turkish money is in circulation. They said, 'We have officers in banks and at the land registry. They will monitor you. We are tracking you on cameras.' We had 3.5 million TL in dollars for one day. They called my wife in the morning, saying teams would come to collect the money. They said they would collect it from Çankırı. I went to Çankırı from Tosya. They made me drive around for 1-2 kilometers; whenever I approached, it didn’t work, and when I went to another place, it didn’t work. There was a street next to a mosque. Not knowing the area well, they pulled our car to a place without security cameras. A person with a gun, who looked like a policeman, stopped us. He opened the car doors and went to the back. I had a bag with money, and I said, 'You can put it in the bag.' At that moment, I looked closely at his face. He put the money in the bag, closed the car door, and walked away. There were no cars in front or behind him. He disappeared that way. My wife and I were hypnotized. They told us to sell our property worth 10 million for 2 or 3 million, promising it would be returned to us. We are so distressed that we are now seeking refuge in God and our state."
“MUCH OF THE DATA CAN BE DISTRIBUTED FOR FREE”
Cybersecurity expert Osman Demircan emphasized that this method is frequently used to defraud people over the age of 65. He warned, "Phishing attacks today are not only carried out digitally but also via phone. Those carrying out phishing attacks need to gain credibility first, which requires information about you. Data leaked from various platforms over time is collected into a single database, and much of this data can unfortunately be distributed for free. They use such information for phishing attacks. They know your name, surname, ID number, address, and property details from these databases."
“THEY TELL OLD PEOPLE EMBARRASSING INFORMATION”
Demircan explained, "Phone fraudsters typically contact elderly individuals and start by giving them information that undermines their dignity. They might say, 'It looks like you are a member of a terrorist organization, a company has been opened in your name, this company has taken out a lot of loans, this company is involved in fraud, and your child seems to be a member of a terrorist organization.' They present themselves as police officers, claiming that they are working to clear the person's name through a secret operation. This is a fraud model we have encountered frequently in the past and it remains a current issue."
“PERFORM THESE TRANSACTIONS THROUGH E-DEVLET” Demircan advised, "If you receive such a call; if someone claims to be from the police and says, 'A company has been opened in your name related to a terrorist organization, and there is a lawsuit against you,' there are two logical steps to take. First, check e-Devlet, which represents our digital citizenship, to see if there are any lawsuits or companies registered in your name. Additionally, visit the police station and verify whether they are the ones who called you. The e-Devlet platform also allows you to set preferences to prevent becoming a shareholder or having a company opened in your name. By using e-Devlet, you can choose options such as not wanting to be a shareholder or not wanting to open a company, preventing any company from being registered under your name even if your ID is lost."
