Fake Police Scams in Turkey
How fraudsters impersonating Turkish police officers and prosecutors frighten victims into transferring money to 'secure accounts'.
Part of: Fake Police Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Fake police and prosecutor scams are among the most psychologically forceful frauds in Turkey. Callers claim to be officers from the Turkish National Police or prosecutors from the public prosecutor's office, informing the victim that their bank account has been linked to criminal activity — typically drug trafficking or terrorism financing — and that funds must be urgently transferred to a 'secure government account' to protect them during the investigation.
The authority and fear these calls generate cause even sophisticated individuals to comply without verifying. Caller ID spoofing makes the number appear genuine, and scammers use official-sounding terminology and case numbers to add credibility.
How this scam works on Turkey
The call typically follows a script: the 'officer' explains that the victim's bank account number has appeared in a major criminal investigation, and that their money is at risk of being frozen unless it is voluntarily moved to a government escrow account for safekeeping. A second caller may pose as a prosecutor to confirm the instruction.
Victims are told not to hang up or call anyone — especially not their bank — until the transfer is complete, supposedly to avoid compromising the investigation. They are kept on the phone for hours while driven to ATMs or instructed to execute wire transfers.
In Turkey these scams are called 'sahte savcı dolandırıcılığı' (fake prosecutor fraud) and have cost victims collectively large sums. Elderly residents and people with limited digital literacy are disproportionately targeted.
Common red flags
- Unsolicited call from someone claiming to be a police officer or prosecutor about your bank account
- Instruction not to tell your family or call your bank — framed as protecting the investigation
- Request to transfer money to a 'government secure account' or buy gold bars for 'evidence'
- Caller knows your name, ID number, or bank name (gleaned from data leaks) to appear legitimate
- Extreme urgency — 'you must act in the next two hours or your assets will be frozen'
- Call appears to come from an official police or government number (spoofed)
How to protect yourself
- Know that real Turkish police and prosecutors never instruct citizens to move money by phone
- Hang up immediately and call your bank's fraud line and the local police directly to verify
- Do not follow instructions to stay on the line — this is a tactic to prevent you contacting anyone
- Alert elderly relatives, who are the most frequent targets of this scam in Turkey
- Report any such call to the police so they can track the pattern and warn the public
How to report it
- Call 155 (Turkish Police emergency line) or visit your nearest police station to report the fraud
- Contact your bank immediately if any transfer was made — request an urgent recall
- Report to the Turkish Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) if criminal proceeds were mentioned
Frequently asked questions
Will the real Turkish police ever call me and ask me to move money?
No. Turkish law enforcement will never instruct a citizen to transfer funds to any account over the phone. Any call asking you to move money to a 'secure' account — regardless of how official it sounds — is a scam. The correct response is to end the call and contact the police yourself using the publicly listed 155 emergency number.