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The Turkish Presidency's Center for Combating Disinformation (DMM) warned Friday that scammers could exploit new social media age verification requirements taking effect Nov. 1 to steal users' personal and financial information, emphasizing that verification must be carried out exclusively through the government's e-Devlet portal.
In a statement posted on social media, the center cautioned that fraudsters may attempt to deceive users through fake text messages, emails and social media links containing alarming warnings such as "Your account will be closed" or "Verify your age immediately."
The DMM stressed that the new system will use an "age verification token" generated through e-Devlet, Türkiye's official online government services portal, rather than requiring users to share personal information directly with social media platforms.
Under regulations issued by Türkiye's Cybersecurity Presidency, children under 15 will be barred from using social media starting Nov. 1, while platforms will be required to verify the ages of all new users through e-Devlet.
The rules also require social media companies to provide specially restricted accounts for users ages 15 to 17, featuring enhanced privacy settings, messaging restrictions and a ban on personalized advertising.
Social network providers must verify users' ages when accounts are created using a digital token generated through the e-Government portal.
"Under the new regulation, which prioritizes the protection of children in the digital environment and the security of personal data, age verification will be carried out exclusively through an 'age verification token' obtained via the e-Government portal," the DMM said.
"No identity information is transferred to social media platforms under this system. Only information indicating whether the user meets the age requirement is transmitted. The regulation will apply only to newly created accounts starting Nov. 1."
The center also clarified that existing social media accounts have until March 31, 2027, to complete the verification process.
It therefore urged users to disregard messages creating a false sense of urgency, particularly those claiming, "Your account will be closed if you do not verify today."
The DMM also issued a series of recommendations to help users protect their personal and financial information from scammers attempting to take advantage of the new requirements.
"Age verification procedures must be carried out exclusively through the turkiye.gov.tr website or the official e-Government mobile application. Before beginning the process, users must carefully check the browser's address bar and must never proceed through websites containing names resembling the official website, different domain extensions or misleading characters.
"Users must never click on redirection links received through SMS, email or social media.
"e-Government passwords, SMS verification codes, credit or debit card details and bank account information must never be shared with any individual, institution or platform.
"Extreme caution must be exercised against individuals and accounts that request payments, card information or passwords under the pretext of age verification through phone calls, messages or fraudulent websites."
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