Don't do this! Scammers' new method: The IBAN trap!

Fraud incidents via websites and applications are increasing every day. Scammers who want to launder money through social media platforms or illegal gambling and betting are conducting illegal transactions via IBAN by telling the citizens they trap, 'There is a problem with my account.' By using the accounts of the citizens they have ensnared, the scammers leave the account holder facing major first-degree legal problems.

"BEWARE OF ACCOUNT NUMBERS YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE!"

Warning that the account of a person who allows their bank account to be used could be linked to terrorist sources, and that they could subsequently face the danger of being processed as a prime suspect, Attorney Suat Altınsoy said, "Unfortunately, fraud via IBAN has been increasing rapidly in our country recently. First and foremost, our citizens must be very careful when conducting transactions involving IBANs during commercial exchanges with people they do not know. One of the systems most frequently used by those who want to commit tax evasion in a commercial sense is to request that money be sent to an IBAN. While someone who sends money to an IBAN normally does not have any liability, they may encounter serious trouble because they do not know who they are sending money to. The fundamental reason for this is that the account number you do not recognize could be an account number linked or connected to terrorism. Even if you prove that you do not bear responsibility at the end of the trial, you can still be tried as a defendant even if it results in an acquittal."

"YOU ARE ALSO TAKING PART IN THE FRAUD SYSTEM"

Emphasizing that there are serious fraud incidents related to account numbers, Attorney Altınsoy stated, "Especially with products you buy very cheaply, products bought from social media are at the forefront of this; in the transactions made here, you are sold very cheap products. If the seller is in contact with you and says that money related to this will come into your account—this could even be a real estate sale or a car sale—you trust the other party because the products you are buying are very cheap. Later, this person traps you by stating that there is a problem with their own bank, saying, 'Other money will also come into your account, can you help me by sending it to a different account?' At this stage, our citizen must absolutely not perform any transaction related to this.

Because you are also taking part in the fraud system. That person is also defrauding other people along with the victim. They ensure that money is sent to your account. After that, in the event of a complaint, since you are the one to whom the money was sent, you are directly the defendant. Because the identity or account of the person directing you is unknown, the crime automatically falls on the account where the transaction was performed. For this reason, what needs to be done is to be twice as careful when dealing with any person you do not know, and not to conduct transactions with people we do not trust.

If we are conducting a transaction in a commercial sense, we must definitely write detailed information in the description section. Even if we think that this is not being used for terrorism or similar financial issues in a criminal sense, problems that will make you responsible for tax penalties may arise. In transactions related to IBANs, we should not allow anyone we do not know to perform a transaction, or if it must be done, the transaction performed must be specified in detail in the description section," he said.

"INFORM THE AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY"

Explaining what should be done if a fraud transaction occurs and is noticed, Altınsoy said, "When faced with a fraud incident, the first thing to do is to warn the bank, prevent the transaction from being carried out, and then go to law enforcement and the prosecutor's office to file a criminal complaint. Because in subsequent proceedings, 'I didn't know' is not an excuse from a legal perspective. Ignorance of the law is not considered an excuse. This is our fundamental principle. Therefore, it should be the primary duty of the citizen to inform the bank, law enforcement, and the prosecutor's office the moment a person experiences a fraud incident," he said.