Turkish man who claimed to be 'Trump's advisor' detained in the US: His real profession is surprising
It has emerged that Melih Göğebakan, who was reported to be working as an Uber driver in the US, defrauded Turkish investors by posing as an influential advisor within Donald Trump's political circle. While Göğebakan was detained in an operation conducted in the US, it was also revealed that he previously ran a mobile phone shop in Osmaniye, Turkey.
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The allegation that Melih Göğebakan, who lives in the US, defrauded Turkish businesspeople by posing as an advisor within Donald Trump's political circle has become a hot topic. According to the report, Göğebakan attempted to build trust through fake images and social media posts created with artificial intelligence.
Melih Göğebakan, who works as an UBER driver in the US, defrauded Turkish businesspeople of millions of dollars by posing as Donald Trump's political advisor using fake images created with artificial intelligence.
— ibrahim Haskoloğlu (@haskologlu) August 24, 2026
It has emerged that the fake advisor was a former mobile phone shop owner in Osmaniye.
The individual,… pic.twitter.com/L8m4flmrNI
According to the report in Sabah, Göğebakan, who is stated to have been working as an Uber driver in America, targeted Turkish investors who wanted to obtain the E-2 visa, known as the investor visa in the US. It is alleged that the suspect took 3 thousand dollars from individuals with the promise of expediting their visa procedures.
OPERATION FOLLOWING COMPLAINTS
It was stated that many people who realized there was no progress in their visa applications despite months passing applied to judicial authorities. Following the complaints, it was reported that the US Secret Service and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) teams conducted a joint operation, and Göğebakan was detained in this operation.
According to the allegations, while the suspect portrayed himself as someone with influential connections at the center of US politics, investigations revealed that he ran a mobile phone shop in Osmaniye during his time in Turkey. It was reported that the judicial process regarding Göğebakan is ongoing.