Up to 10 years in prison sought for woman who defrauded victims of 20,000 liras with promise of sexual intercourse

According to the indictment prepared by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Erkan S. and Halil Ç. called a phone number written on a photo on an escort website.

The two friends, who agreed with the woman on the phone to meet at their home in exchange for sending 20,000 liras to a bank account, were unable to reach the woman after sending the money.

After the money was deposited into her account, the woman mocked Erkan S. and Halil Ç. over the phone and blocked their numbers. Following this, the complainants filed a complaint, alleging they had been defrauded with the promise of a sexual encounter.

"MY WALLET WAS LOST"

Güler Ş., the owner of the account where the money transfer took place, claimed in her statement that the account to which the complainants sent the money belonged to her, that she had lost her wallet containing her bank cards while vacationing in Kuşadası in September 2020, and that she had not canceled the card because she was not using it. Güler Ş. argued that she did not know the complainants, did not negotiate with anyone on the phone, and did not request any money.

"REQUEST TO REMOVE BLOCK"

The indictment noted that, according to documents requested from banks to verify the suspect's statements, credit card debts were paid multiple times from Güler Ş.'s account between November 2020 and September 2023, establishing that the suspect was an active user of the card.

Furthermore, it was stated that the suspect had requested the bank to remove a block on her account on various dates because she could not withdraw the money that had arrived in her account.

"CALL FORWARDING"

The indictment, which also included the HTS (Historical Traffic Search) records of the phone number that Erkan S. and Halil Ç. communicated with, stated that the number the complainants contacted had been changed via "call forwarding" and that the number used for communication belonged to a foreign national named A.S.

The indictment also included the finding that the line the complainants communicated with was pinging from cell towers near Güler Ş.'s residence in Denizli on the date of the incident.

USED A "BURNER LINE"

The indictment, which stated that Güler Ş. used a line referred to as a "burner line" registered in the name of a foreign national to conceal her identity, noted the following:

"As understood from the documents received from the banks, the money subject to the complaint arrived in the account belonging to the suspect. Although the suspect claimed to have lost her bank account card, it was understood that her credit card debts were paid repeatedly from the account before and after the date the act took place. It has been determined that Güler Ş.'s statements were aimed at escaping the crime and punishment, and when the evidence showing her connection to the concrete incident is evaluated together, it has been determined that the suspect committed the alleged crime."

The indictment requested that the suspect be sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison for the crime of "fraud by using information systems, banks, or credit institutions as a tool."

News Source: AA