28 suspects arrested in operation against cybercrime
The nationwide operation CyberEye-18 dealt a significant blow to cybercrime in Türkiye, leading to the apprehension of 28 individuals involved in advanced online fraud
In an extensive operation against advanced online fraud, 28 suspects were apprehended across nine cities in Türkiye. Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya said the arrests were part of a large-scale crackdown on sophisticated cybercrime.
The operation, CyberEye-18, led by the Turkish National Police’s Cyber Crimes Division in coordination with the Izmir Cyber Crimes Unit, spanned across Istanbul, Balıkesir, Batman, Diyarbakır, Samsun, Igdır, Edirne, Van and Trabzon. These simultaneous raids marked a significant strike against organized online fraud in the country.
In his statement, Yerlikaya highlighted the ingenuity of the criminal scheme that led to the arrests.
The suspects allegedly created counterfeit websites, mimicking Türkiye’s leading car rental companies. Unsuspecting customers were lured into transferring money to these fake sites, believing they were paying for car rentals. After the initial payment, the victims were further deceived into paying additional charges under various pretexts, such as deposit fees, insurance costs, collision damage waiver policies, accident charges, cancellation fees and provisioning charges.
Praising the effectiveness of these cyber patrols, Yerlikaya emphasized that these operations demonstrate the government’s unyielding commitment to combating cybercrime.
