Jail time sought for Turkish scammers targeting Germans


Prosecutors in Antalya sought prison sentences ranging from nine to 30 years for Turkish suspects who allegedly scammed German citizens for hundreds of thousands of euros.

According to the indictment, seven suspects scammed dozens of Germans by spoofing their phone numbers, appearing as if they were calling from a call center in Germany and leading victims to believe they had won prizes from raffles.

The scammers then asked the victims to send money to pay for the taxes on their prizes.

Plaintiff Wolfram U. said he sent a total of 75,000 euros in 11 transactions from 2014 to 2017, while another plaintiff Jochen M.H. said he sent 58,890 euros after he was led to believe that he won a cash prize from a lottery.

The prosecutors said the suspects spoke with near-perfect German accents and told each victim that they won various prizes, including cash and homes.

The suspects were charged with "aggravated fraud" and "defrauding three or more people."