'Secure payment' trap: 20 people were defrauded of 1.5 million lira!

In Erzurum, 20 people were defrauded of approximately 1.5 million lira through fake links sent under the name of "secure payment method" for online shopping. Erzurum Police Department Anti-Cyber ​​Crimes Branch teams identified 72 suspects related to the incidents.

It was stated that fraudsters especially target people buying and selling vehicles and trap citizens by saying that payments can be made through fake websites instead of bank accounts.

It was learned that citizens who were directed to websites imitating real payment systems sent money from their own accounts while thinking that they would receive money.

72 SUSPECTS WERE DETECTED

Erzurum Police Department Anti-Cyber Crimes Branch teams identified 72 suspects in the work they carried out upon receiving notices.

It was reported that the teams are continuing their work to catch the suspects and compensate the damages of defrauded citizens.

'THEY SEND MONEY WHILE THINKING THEY WILL RECEIVE MONEY'

Commissioner Yaşar Rüştü Rakıcı, the Bureau Chief in the Anti-Cyber Crimes Branch, stated that fraud incidents occur especially in vehicle purchases and sales.

Stating that fraudsters suggest citizens make payments through a link instead of a bank account, Rakıcı made the following statement:

"Fraud cases with secure payment methods have increased and we see these in our city. (Scammers) say that they will send money to our citizens, but when they give the information, they are left in the situation of being sent and defrauded when the money is about to be received due to a few overlooked details."

Rakıcı stated that 20 people were defrauded using this method this year and the total loss reached approximately 1.5 million liras, and emphasized that citizens should carefully check the sender and recipient information during payment.

FAKE LINK WARNING FROM EXPERTS

Mehmet Raşit Çavuşoğlu, Head of Legal Affairs of the Consumer Rights Association, stated that fraudsters create fake websites by imitating the names and logos of real secure payment systems.

Pointing out that the professional appearance of the sites in question does not mean that they are reliable, Çavuşoğlu said that citizens should verify their transactions through the official applications of banks or authorized payment institutions.

Çavuşoğlu also drew attention to the importance of keeping advertisement information, correspondence and receipts in cases of fraud.

'DO NOT SEND MONEY WHEN YOU THINK YOU WILL RECEIVE MONEY'

Çavuşoğlu warned citizens not to share their passwords and single-use verification codes with third parties and used the following statements:

"The fact that a page says 'secure payment', has the logo of a well-known institution or that the page looks professional is not a guarantee on its own. Our citizens must verify the transaction by opening the official application of the bank, authorized payment institution or shopping platform themselves."

Çavuşoğlu warned, "Do not send money when you think you will receive money. Make sure that what you say on the phone and the transaction you confirm on the screen are the same, and do not complete your payment without verifying the transaction through the official channel."