Home > Current Affairs News > Visa appointment operation in 6 provinces: 918 million [lira] fraud detected! Correspondence revealed

Visa appointment operation in 6 provinces: 918 million [lira] fraud detected! Correspondence revealed

An operation was carried out in 6 provinces targeting organizations determined to be collecting visa appointments using "bot" software and charging citizens high fees. While raids were conducted on 63 addresses as part of the Istanbul-based investigation, judicial proceedings were initiated for 49 suspects. As the suspects' correspondence was revealed, a financial movement of 2 billion 841 million 220 thousand lira was also detected.

12punto

An operation was carried out as part of an investigation into individuals determined to have collected large sums of money from citizens with the promise of obtaining visas or appointments. As a result of the efforts, detention orders were issued for 49 suspects.

THEY TOOK MONEY FROM MORE THAN 41 THOUSAND PEOPLE

Minister Gürlek made a statement regarding the investigation conducted following complaints about visa procedures.

Gürlek reported that investigations determined that approximately 918 million TL had been collected from over 41 thousand people.

Gürlek's statement is as follows:

Under the leadership of our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we continue our fight against crime and criminals with the strong coordination of our Ministries of Justice and Interior. Our Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices, law enforcement agencies, and relevant public institutions are working shoulder to shoulder. We are fighting uncompromisingly against structures that cause grievances for our citizens, aim to gain unfair profit, and are assessed to be using personal data unlawfully.

In the investigation coordinated by our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office; it was investigated that some individuals and companies operating under the name of visa consultancy were accessing the online appointment systems of consulates and authorized intermediary institutions through software referred to as "bots," collecting appointments in bulk, and effectively making it impossible for our citizens to obtain appointments directly.

Within the scope of the investigation; significant findings were obtained that large amounts of money were collected from citizens under the names of "software," "consultancy," and "service fee" with the guarantee of obtaining a visa or appointment within certain periods, that refunds were not made in cases where the promised services were not fulfilled, and that personal data belonging to applicants were transferred to private digital systems.

In the examinations conducted by the Tax Inspection Board of our Ministry of Treasury and Finance; it was determined that there was a money movement exceeding 2 billion 841 million TL in the accounts belonging to the company structures subject to the investigation between January 2024 and July 2026, and that approximately 918 million TL was collected from over 41 thousand people. It was determined that a significant portion of the collections were directed to the accounts of company partners and employees; and that there were intense cash, crypto asset, and precious metal movements.

In this context, a simultaneous operation was carried out today at 63 addresses in Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Balıkesir, Bursa, and İzmir; judicial proceedings were carried out for the apprehension of 49 suspects. Examinations of the digital materials and documents seized during the searches are ongoing.

I would like to thank our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which meticulously conducted the investigation, our Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command; our public prosecutors, gendarmerie personnel, relevant units of our Ministry of Treasury and Finance, and all public officials who contributed to the operations and the investigation.

We will continue our fight with determination against structures that try to prevent our citizens from accessing the services offered by authorized institutions and turn this into a gateway for unfair profit. We will not allow any initiative that exploits the labor, money, and personal data of our people to escape justice.

TOTAL OF 2 BILLION 841 MILLION IN MONEY MOVEMENT

On the other hand, in the financial analyses conducted by the Tax Inspection Board of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance; it was determined that there was a total gross money movement of 2 billion 841 million 220 thousand lira in the accounts belonging to different company structures subject to the investigation between January 2024 and July 2026, that approximately 918 million lira was collected from more than 41 thousand people, that a significant portion of the collection was gathered in personal accounts belonging to company partners and employees instead of company accounts, that the companies operated under different visa brands, and that there were intense cash, crypto asset, and precious metal movements in the accounts. Within the scope of the investigation, it was determined that there were money movements reaching up to 500 thousand lira from some victims.

THEY GAVE A 15-DAY GUARANTEE TO A CUSTOMER AND KEPT THEM WAITING FOR 2 AND A HALF MONTHS

Furthermore, while it was determined that images of the front side of the applicants' passports were requested to initiate the process and it was clearly stated that this data would be recorded in a panel titled 'Visa Appointment Management System', it was found that there were a total of 201 application records in the mentioned panel containing first name, last name, date of birth, passport number, and city information, whereas in correspondence with another customer, a 15-day appointment guarantee was not fulfilled despite approximately 2 and a half months passing, and in this state, customers were acquired with the rhetoric of obtaining visa appointments and using firm-specific software, and as seen in the concrete transaction example, a very large portion of the collection was directed to the suspect's account instead of the company account and the promised service was not provided on time.

OPERATION TARGETING 49 SUSPECTS

Within the scope of the investigation, searches were carried out at a total of 63 addresses in the provinces of Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Balıkesir, Bursa, and İzmir in order to apprehend 49 suspects and seize criminal evidence.