Virtual robbery at Istanbul Airport currency exchange
A currency exchange office at Istanbul Airport sparked outrage by processing a transaction at a dollar/TL rate of 25.39, despite the market rate being 32.62. The exchange office charged a foreign national a commission of over 3,600 TL for exchanging 500 dollars.
12punto
While food and beverages are sold at exorbitant prices at airports, currency exchange offices are essentially committing a 'robbery'.
A foreign national who arrived in Turkey on July 7, 2024, wanted to exchange 500 dollars at a currency exchange office at Istanbul Airport.
Although the Central Bank's dollar/TL rate was 32.62 on that date, the exchange office applied a 'different tariff' and calculated the dollar/TL rate at 25.39.
The exchange office, which applied a difference of more than 7 liras, paid 12,696 TL in exchange for 500 dollars.
While the equivalent of 500 dollars according to the CBRT rate on that date was 16,314 TL, the fact that the exchange office took a commission of over 3,600 TL left people saying 'enough is enough'.
The victims rebelled, asking, "If this is not theft, how should it be defined?"