Scammers on the prowl online: Beware, students, in the new academic year

Following the start of the new academic year, the activities of scammers have increased. During this period, when students frequently order food, scammers aim to reach them through fake messages. They attempt to commit fraud by sending messages to students—even those who have not placed a food order—stating, "We have sent you a code. Tell us this code so we can cancel your food order."

Lawyer Asiye Tuğçe Çakır explained the scammers' method in detail: "Scammers specifically target students who are likely to order food. These types of scams can lead to financial losses for both students and their families. When you are called by an application from which you have placed a food order, state that you do not have an order. However, scammers may exploit this situation by requesting a code from you, and the moment you provide that code, they can gain access to your account."

Çakır recommended the following measures to protect against scammers: "It is important not to trust the numbers from which calls are received, to check where the code is coming from, and to confirm that you have not placed an order. Communicate with your relatives to verify the situation and, if necessary, contact the application administrators. Furthermore, in the event of a scam, it is of vital importance to report the situation to the nearest law enforcement agency."

Additionally, it was noted that scammers have recently developed new methods using individuals with clean criminal records. These individuals may act as intermediaries for scammers to send money to their accounts in exchange for a commission. Çakır emphasized that citizens who encounter such situations should be careful and should not share their IBAN information with people they do not know.

Fatih Olgunçelik shared his personal experience, drawing attention to the importance of being careful against scammers' messages: "I received similar messages a while ago. I delete messages that come under the guise of cargo or food orders without reading them. I advise my friends to do the same. One must be sensitive to fraud cases."

Students and their families should be vigilant against such fraud methods and should immediately contact the authorities if they encounter any suspicious situation. It is stated that social awareness must be increased against such incidents, which have risen with the start of the academic term.

News Source: İHA