Defrauded by a man he met on the Metrobus: Even the Central Bank could not distinguish the dollars

Samad B., a foreign national, came to Turkey with dreams of starting a business. On April 20 of last year, Samad B. began chatting with Hasan Ş., who was sitting next to him on the Metrobus. During the conversation, which quickly deepened, Hasan Ş. proposed that they go into business together.

While Samad B. excitedly accepted the offer, Hasan Ş. told him that he needed to convert his money into dollars. Trusting his business partner, Samad B. gave all his money to Hasan Ş. at a cafe in Ataşehir. In return, he received 19,600 dollars.

After a while, when Samad B. wanted to use the money, he was shocked to learn that the dollars were counterfeit.

Following the complaint filed by the foreign man, an investigation was launched by the prosecutor's office, and Hasan Ş.'s statement was taken. The suspect claimed he did not know the money was counterfeit and denied the accusations.

CENTRAL BANK STATED 'IT MIGHT NOT BE EASILY UNDERSTOOD AT FIRST GLANCE'

The 196 pieces of 100 US dollar banknotes were sent to the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey for examination. The report from the Central Bank stated that the 196 banknotes were counterfeit and that, due to the care and level of expertise in their production, it might not be easily understood at first glance that they were fake.

The prosecutor's office has filed a lawsuit against Hasan Ş. for the crime of "Counterfeiting Currency," seeking up to 12 years in prison.

News Source: 12punto