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Turkish authorities dismantled an international criminal network that allegedly defrauded Europeans by posing as police officers, prosecutors, soldiers and bank officials through a call center in Istanbul, Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said Friday.
The operation was carried out under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, based on information and documents provided by Czech judicial authorities through international judicial cooperation, Gurlek said on X.
He said Türkiye was working in close coordination with the Interior Ministry to combat international criminal organizations, cyberfraud networks and money laundering.
"As a result of an investigation conducted under the coordination of our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, based on information and documents transmitted by Czech judicial authorities within the scope of international judicial cooperation, an international fraud network has been dismantled," Gurlek said.
Istanbul police detained 51 suspects in simultaneous raids targeting the network, which was allegedly operating from a business center in the city's Maslak district.
Teams from the Istanbul Police Department's Cybercrime Branch launched the investigation after Czech authorities transmitted information to Türkiye's Interpol Department.
Authorities said the suspects contacted people living in European countries and posed as police officers, judges, prosecutors, soldiers, bank employees and central bank officials.
They allegedly obtained large amounts of illicit proceeds from victims and attempted to launder the money through bank accounts and cryptoasset platforms.
Gurlek said investigators determined that the suspects used artificial intelligence-supported software at the call center to contact potential victims.
"The suspects used artificial intelligence-supported software to contact people living in European countries while posing as police officers, prosecutors, soldiers and bank officials, defrauding numerous Czech citizens and Europeans and obtaining large amounts of illicit gain," he said.
Authorities said 80 foreign nationals were found at the call center.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said the organization was run by foreign nationals and systematically targeted people in European countries.
The office said the group operated in an organized manner and caused significant financial losses, particularly to Czech citizens.
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Investigators said the office had been rented through intermediary companies and had no visible corporate identity, apparently to conceal the operation.
Technical and physical surveillance showed that the organization was managed through the call center in Maslak, according to prosecutors.
Police carried out simultaneous operations at three addresses, including the office used as the call center and the residences used by the suspects.
Numerous digital devices believed to have been used in the fraud were seized for examination.
Searches and examinations of digital evidence were continuing as investigators sought to uncover the full scope of the organization's activities and identify additional victims.
Gurlek congratulated the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and personnel involved in the operation.
"By strengthening our national and international cooperation in the fight against crime, we will continue our determination to protect legal security and public order," he said.
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