Radio programmer Nihat Sırdar announced that money was requested from him, using the name of Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) Chairman Mehmet Daniş. Explaining his experiences on his social media account, Sırdar stated that he was told that the RTÜK President wanted to reach him on his birthday, October 20.
Stating that the person who introduced himself as Mehmet Daniş in the phone call asked for 150 thousand liras for a so-called aid campaign, Sırdar stated that what happened was an attempt at fraud.
Sirdar stated that he was told that he was receiving a call from the private secretary of the RTÜK President and that he called the number given to him. Explaining that the person who answered the phone first introduced himself as a private secretary, Sirdar pointed out the words he heard in the background.
Sirdar explained his experiences as follows:
"Yesterday (on my birthday), my friends told me that the president of RTÜK called me. He was waiting for me to call his private secretary. I called the number they gave me, 0541 478 90 66, and the friend who answered the phone gave me the phone saying, 'I am presenting it to my president.' Before the voice on the other end spoke to me, he made a sentence that I could hear, 'Of course, send it immediately, let me sign the penalties,' and then 'Nihat, hello, I am Mehmet Daniş. He started the topic by saying 'RTÜK president'."
Stating that the person who introduced himself as the President of RTÜK first talked about broadcasting activities during the meeting, Sırdar said that he suspected the fraud attempt from the very beginning.
Sirdar explained this part of the speech with the following words:
"After the 'How are you, I hope things are going well' part, he asked, 'Do you have any complaints about us?' Since I was aware of the issue from the first second, I said, 'You impose a lot of fines, Mr. President.' He said, 'You would love us more if we didn't, wouldn't you?'"
According to Sirdar, during the conversation, the person who introduced himself as the President of RTÜK requested money, claiming that they were collecting aid.
Sirdar said:
"Then he came to the main point. He said, 'I also met with the owners of other broadcasting organizations, as you know, the death toll has risen to 6. We are collecting aid for our children who were damaged in the flood. We wrote some money to you too. Friends, who should you contact?'"
Stating that he asked about the requested amount, Sırdar said, "When I asked, 'How much are you talking about?', he said, '150 thousand liras.' I said that we would be happy to send even more."
Stating that his friends contacted the given person after the phone call, Sirdar stated that what happened regarding the bank account information strengthened the suspicion of fraud.
Sırdar said, "His voice suddenly became cheerful. He asked, 'Who should friends call?' I gave our Bülent's name and we hung up. The friend who called Bülent at the speed of light and said his name was Yılmaz Ünal did not respond to our insistent request for IBAN information."
Stating that they knew that the meeting in question was not held with a real RTÜK official, Sırdar said, "Of course, we knew that RTÜK, to which we frequently pay through official channels through penalties, could not ask for money in this way and that this was a fraud attempt."
At the end of his post, Sirdar pointed out that other broadcasting organizations may have been targeted with similar methods.
Sırdar said, "I hope those other broadcasting organizations for which 'some money was written' did not take advantage of this." He also tagged RTÜK's official social media account and gave the following warning:
"Also let @rtukkurumsal know. These guys have started working again."
Following Nihat Sırdar's post about the fraud attempt, a statement came from RTÜK President Mehmet Daniş.
Responding to Sırdar on his social media account, Daniş said, "Get well soon, Mr. Nihat. Your post and the correct reflex you showed contributed to informing the public against similar fraud attempts."
Emphasizing that RTÜK did not request donations or financial aid, Daniş said:
"As we have emphasized many times before, the Radio and Television Supreme Council does not request donations or financial aid under any circumstances. Such requests are attempts at fraud."
Warning broadcasting organizations against similar initiatives, Daniş completed his statement as follows:
"On this occasion, I once again invite all our broadcasters to be careful against similar fraud attempts. Necessary legal processes are being followed by the judicial authorities."
