A new method for money laundering: The danger of rolling tobacco!

Advertisements for 'rolling tobacco at home' jobs have become a new trap for scammers. Citizens are being victimized when they are not paid for the packs they roll, or their personal information is being used for money laundering purposes.

Neşet Gündüz, President of the Antalya Branch of the Consumers Union, warned, "Rolling tobacco is a crime. It carries a prison sentence of 3 to 5 years. Do not become both a criminal and a victim of scammers by doing this work."

Although it is illegal to prepare shredded tobacco for smoking and sell it, there has been a noticeable increase in online advertisements titled 'Earn money by rolling tobacco at home.'

According to Ministry of Trade data, the amount of tobacco seized at customs, which was 33 thousand 369 tons in 2018, rose to 100 thousand 393 tons in the January-August period of this year.

During the same period, Customs Enforcement teams prevented the illegal entry of cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, cigarette paper, and filters worth 247 million 880 thousand 943 liras into the country.

In Turkey, where 27.6 percent of the population over the age of 15 uses cigarettes, tobacco shops sell not only shredded tobacco but also cigarette paper, filters, cases, and hookah tobacco. Smokers prepare the tobacco for smoking by rolling it by hand or using a machine that can roll single cigarettes.

On the other hand, it is illegal to offer shredded tobacco for sale by filling it into tubes or rolling it in cigarette paper. Despite the ban, the sale of loose cigarettes has become widespread in tobacco shops. These shops generally offer loose cigarettes for sale that have been rolled by women using machines or by hand for a fee per pack.

'IT IS ILLEGAL TO PREPARE TOBACCO FOR SALE'

There has been a recent increase in advertisements targeting citizens who are unaware that they are committing a crime by putting in effort to prepare illicit, non-customs-cleared tobacco for sale, and that their work and earnings are illegal.

Citizens have become targets for scammers on social media through ad titles such as 'Earn money by rolling tobacco at home.'

Those who apply for the home tobacco rolling job either send money requested by the malicious individuals as an initial fee or are victimized when they are not paid for the packs they roll. Some also have their personal information obtained during conversations after sending a small amount of money to an account number via a bank, which is then used for money laundering.

WARNING OF PRISON SENTENCE

Neşet Gündüz, President of the Antalya Branch of the Consumers Union, said, "We see tobacco rolling ads on the internet. Victims are sent an IBAN number to pay a certain fee in the first stage. After a while, they are deceived with the promise that 'we will send our devices and you will earn money by rolling tobacco,' and their personal information is accessed. Rolling tobacco is a crime. It carries a prison sentence of 3 to 5 years. Do not become both a criminal and a victim of scammers by doing this work. These ads should be reported. People rely on these ads for extra income without knowing that the tobacco rolling business is illegal. There is interest in these ads based on hearsay, such as 'my neighbor is doing it and earning money.' It is a crime to prepare illicit shredded tobacco for sale to be ready for smoking."