TNT Phone Fraud Edition: Professor Duped by High School Dropout

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 18 February 2022)

when it's OK to deny Turkish click here for other

examples of phone frauds that could have been 

avoided with the simple phrase "I don't speak 

Turkish". 

                                Taking teacher to school.

Prof. Nilüfer Narlı, a prominent sociologist and the head of the sociology

department at a university in Istanbul, received a phone call from an 

individual identifying himself as "police officer Ateş" on 4 February.  

The fake policemen recited Prof. Narlı's ID number and the names of her

relatives, as well as her bank account information, and even sent her a 

fake police ID via WhatsApp.  

"Ateş" told Prof. Narlı that her bank accounts had been seized by others

and were being used for some illegal activities.  Consequently, she should

put all her money in just one account, but before that, all of her cash and

jewels had to be recorded.  The fake policeman had Prof. Narlı agree to

the password "barış-pınar" so that their interactions would be secure.  

Prof. Narlı then went to her bank in the Etiler neighborhood of Istanbul,

withdrew all her money and put the cash, along with all her jewelry,

into a bag.  When a "policeman" arrived at her door shortly thereafter and

gave the password "barış-pınar", she handed him the bag.  (!)

The swindler called Prof. Narlı again, saying that another of her accounts

had been identified.  But this time, Prof. Narlı called a lawyer friend,

explained what had happened and realized that she had been duped.

The real police then had Prof. Narlı string along "Ateş" and arrange a 

meeting with him.  Police also determined that the number Prof. Narlı

had been called from was registered to Mustafa Saka, who has a police

record for such frauds.  

Prof. Narlı brought another bag of cash and valuables to a shopping center

in Şişli, where Saka took it and was immediately seized by police.  None

of the cash and valuables that Prof. Narlı had previously given to Saka were

found on his person or in his flat.  Saka denied the accusations but was 

jailed anyway.  Saka's formal education ended in middle school.