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A Syrian woman has allegedly defrauded at least six men in Istanbul who were seeking marriage on a dating app, victims told Türkiye Today.
She allegedly deceived her victims with promises of marriage, and once an unregistered religious marriage contract was signed and she received the dowry and gold, she vanished without a trace.
It is not known whether she defrauded additional Arab-origin men living in Istanbul.
The woman is believed to be part of an organized group in Istanbul, suspected of carrying out repeated fraud operations in a coordinated and collective manner.
As per the information provided by the victims, a woman identifying herself as Israa Qawatli was aided by a man she claimed was her brother, Yahya, along with a fake marriage registrar who goes by the name Hamza Abu Shahin.
The woman allegedly belongs to Syria's Al Shaghour.
Victims allege that "her brother Yahya" is in reality the Syrian woman's husband.
Victim testimonies revealed that in all cases, the gang demanded dowries ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, in addition to gold jewelry worth up to $3,000.
At times, the woman also requested plane tickets from the victims’ home countries in an effort to reinforce the narrative and convince them that she was serious about the marriage.
In an interview, one of the victims—Mohamed Haytham Fouda, a 46-year-old Egyptian engineer working in Saudi Arabia—recounted how he was allegedly defrauded by Qawatli.
The victim met her through an Islamic marriage matchmaking app named AlKhattaba and, after three months, traveled to Türkiye for marriage.
According to his account, Qawatli arrived accompanied by a woman posing as her mother, a man posing as her brother and a marriage officiant.
He later discovered, after speaking with other victims, that the same group had used the same method to deceive multiple individuals.
The religious marriage ceremony reportedly took place in a house the woman claimed was hers.
After paying the dowry, Qawatli said she told him she would host a celebration ceremony with friends.
While waiting for the event to end, the victim was unable to reach her or the man posing as her brother.
He managed only to contact the marriage officiant, who later revealed that the marriage contract had actually been signed at his home—not at the bride’s—and denied any connection to her.
Haytham later learned from acquaintances that the man Qawatli had introduced as her brother was actually her husband and that both were part of a fraud ring known for repeatedly running such schemes.
The victim filed a report, but with little progress in the case, he was compelled to return to his home country. With this, Haytham’s name joins the list of the gang’s victims.
Haytham shared his story on Facebook groups, which led others to identify the woman as Raghad Awad from Rihaniya, Türkiye, living in Istanbul with a sister named Rama Awad.
Her mother, Aliya Bohran, who owns a women’s hairdressing salon in Türkiye's Reyhanli, is also suspected by some of being involved with the gang.
It later emerged that Awad has no brothers. She is married, has a child, and allegedly collaborates with her husband in carrying out such frauds.
The gang also includes a marriage officiant residing in an apartment in Esenyurt, Istanbul. Six victims confirmed that he conducted the Islamic marriage ceremonies.
Unlike the rest of the gang, the officiant has not disappeared. When confronted, he denied any involvement or any sort of knowledge about the crimes.
Reports indicate that the gang carried out the same scam repeatedly, targeting more than six victims.
Hisham Ismail, a witness to another fraud case involving an Egyptian man living in Italy, also traveled to Istanbul to marry the same woman. He said it was the same woman acting with her gang on Aug. 2, while Haytham Fouad’s marriage took place just a few days later, on Aug. 31.
Mohamed Ismail, another Egyptian man, said he fell into the same trap at the same house with the same officiant, but this time the woman was different.
All confirmed that the individuals involved were the same and that the fraud followed the same method within the same district. The perpetrators typically vanished after securing the victims’ money.
One of the victims stated that he experienced a similar incident with the same marriage officiant but a different woman.
This suggests that it may be a gang that changes its members as needed.
Turkish lawyer Osman Berat Bayazit explained the legal implications of the case.
Bayazit commented on a recent case involving alleged marriage fraud that if such a case occurs in Türkiye, the nationality of either the victim or the suspect does not affect the investigation or trial.
Under the principle of territoriality in criminal law, Turkish courts have full jurisdiction over crimes committed within the country’s borders.
In this case, a foreign woman is alleged to have deceived individuals with promises of marriage to gain financial benefits.
According to Article 157 of the Turkish Penal Code, using deceit to mislead someone for personal gain constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by one to five years in prison.
Under the Turkish Civil Code, engagement is established through a formal promise of marriage.
Intentionally breaking an engagement allows the aggrieved party to reclaim gifts or seek compensation for wedding-related expenses.
Victims may file complaints with the police or public prosecutor, regardless of whether a formal marriage took place.
Turkish courts maintain jurisdiction over such cases, even if the suspect is a foreign national.
The incident has sparked concerns over the security features of dating apps and how they can be exploited in new scam schemes.
Investigations indicate that this is not an isolated case, with several similar incidents reported across Türkiye. Experts warn that these platforms make such fraud easy to carry out, offering no guarantees for user safety.
When all the victims fell for the same scam by the same woman on AlKhattaba, a halal marriage app for Muslims, questions arose about the app’s role in enabling the repeated fraud.
Is the app considered a partner in this crime?
A review of the app shows that AlKhattaba claims to have measures in place to protect its users.
These include reporting and blocking tools, allowing users to report suspicious individuals while the app’s team takes action against violators.
Privacy controls are also in place, with uploaded photos blurred by default and only revealed upon request.
Additionally, a dedicated 24/7 support team addresses user concerns, while enhanced security features and AI algorithms aim to safeguard personal information and ensure a safer matchmaking experience.
Despite these measures, the recent scam incidents involving multiple victims raise questions about the app's role in preventing such fraudulent activities.
3 min read
