Operation against fake white goods service gang in İzmir: 5 arrests

A successful operation was conducted by police teams against a gang in İzmir who introduced themselves as an authorized white goods service on the internet and defrauded citizens. It was determined that the suspects reached their victims with the help of 0850 phone numbers published on search engines and unjustly profited from them. Out of 7 suspects detained in simultaneous raids, 5 were arrested and sent to prison by the court they were brought before. The incident had come to the fore following increasing fraud complaints in the region recently and drew the attention of law enforcement. Authorities state that operations against networks committing fraud with similar methods continue with determination.

The emergence of the incident started with the reporting of grievances experienced by many citizens across İzmir during white goods repairs. The victims believed that the people they reached by calling the 0850 customer service numbers they found on internet search engines were authorized service workers. However, the suspects created a pretext that they inspected the devices without performing any repair or maintenance work, and demanded high amounts of service fees. This situation caused the victims to suffer serious financial damage at the hands of the fake service personnel who came to their homes. As a result of the increasing complaints, the teams of the Fraud Bureau Directorate, affiliated with the Public Security Branch Directorate of the İzmir Provincial Police Department, took the matter seriously and launched a detailed investigation.

Following technical and physical surveillance, police teams managed to identify the identities and locations of the individuals suspected of fraud. It was understood that the suspects tried to appear as a reliable institution through fake advertisements and copycat websites they set up on the internet. Acting in line with the collected evidence and victim statements, the teams decided to conduct simultaneous raids on the addresses where the suspects were located. During this operation, a total of 7 individuals, who were confirmed to have deceived citizens and obtained unjust profits without performing any repair work, were caught red-handed. It was also revealed in the statements of the captured individuals that they tried to legitimize their operations by using fake documents and invoices.

The 7 detained suspects were first taken to the Public Security Branch Directorate at the İzmir Provincial Police Department, where their comprehensive interrogations began. One of the suspects, whose procedures were completed, was released from the police station by denying the charges in his statement or citing insufficient evidence. The remaining 6 suspects were referred to the courthouse after the completion of official procedures following the conclusive charges against them. Heavier charges were brought against the individuals who were identified as being in the position of the leader of the fake service gang or playing a more active role. The suspects, who were referred to the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, were brought before a judge and sent to the duty penal judgeship of peace with a request for arrest.

During the hearing at the duty court, it was observed that the suspects, despite denying the charges or the contradictions in their defenses, were caught red-handed given the weight of the evidence. As a result of the examination, it was decided that one of the suspects, named B.I., would be released under judicial control due to the lack of sufficient evidence or the absence of a heavy criminal record. On the other hand, 5 suspects named B.C.D., İ.S., B.S., S.Y., and D.S. were arrested considering the risk of leaving the country and the possibility of obscuring evidence. Along with the arrest decision, these 5 individuals were sent to prisons in İzmir to await their sentences. The investigation regarding the incident has been expanded, and it was requested that in case of an increase in the number of victims, new complaints be submitted to law enforcement units for evaluation.