Burhanettin Kojamaz, a member of the Turkish parliament from the opposition “Good Party” (IYI Parti), became a victim of telephone fraud, to whom he transferred gold and money worth more than 1.5 million dollars, Turkish media reported.
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“I got a call from a man who introduced himself as the head of the anti-terrorism department in Mersin. He stated that during the operation, the suspects found documents with my data, and then convinced me to help in the investigation,” Kojamaz said during the interrogation, excerpts from which were quoted by A Haber TV channel.
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According to the deputy, the interlocutor claimed that the detainees were allegedly connected with the FETO organization, which is banned in Turkey, and used his data in illegal financial transactions. To “verify” the origin of the funds and jewelry, the politician was persuaded to transfer the money and gold to the employees involved in the operation.
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“They said they would compare my gold items with those seized from the members of the organization and conduct a laboratory examination. I handed over a bag with money and gold to a man near the University of Bashkent,” Kojamaz said.
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According to the A Haber TV channel, among the transferred valuables were 7.35 kilograms of gold bars, 57 gold coins, jewelry, as well as cash. The total value of the property exceeded 70 million liras (about 1.56 million dollars at the rate of 45 liras per dollar).
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After receiving the valuables, the attackers fled by car. Ankara police have identified the suspects’ route and contacted colleagues in Istanbul. The car was intercepted in the Avcylar area at the entrance to the metropolis. The money and gold were seized, the suspects were detained and taken to Ankara.
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Kojamaz is a member of the Turkish Parliament from the opposition “Good Party” and previously served as mayor of Mersin. The scheme in which fraudsters pose as police officers, prosecutors or special services and convince citizens to transfer money to participate in a “secret operation” remains one of the most common in Turkey.
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The authorities regularly warn that law enforcement officers never require the transfer of cash, gold or other valuables as part of investigations.
