Investment Fraud Statistics in Türkiye: Data from 4,751 Reviews

Savun Law & Consultancy · Updated 10 November 2026

This page contains aggregate data from the 4,751 reviews that Savun Law & Consultancy has published on unauthorised investment platforms, fake brokerage sites and investment groups in Türkiye. The figures are counted from the summary records of the individual reviews and are updated monthly. Last updated: 10 November 2026.

In short
In more than half of the 4,751 schemes reviewed (56%), the problem arises at the stage of withdrawing money. In about one in four schemes (26%), an extra payment is demanded before money can be withdrawn; the most common reason given is "tax" (16%). About one in nine schemes (11%) uses the name of a real institution without permission. None of the 3,898 schemes whose authorisation was checked holds authorisation from the Capital Markets Board (SPK).

Key figures

56.2% — Share of schemes where the problem is reported at the stage of withdrawing the deposited money (2,670 reviews).Source: Savun Law investment fraud reviews, 4,751 reviews, November 2026
26.4% — Share of schemes where a withdrawal request is made conditional on a new payment described as tax, commission, verification fee or collateral (1,253 reviews).Source: Savun Law investment fraud reviews, 4,751 reviews, November 2026
16.0% — Share of schemes where a payment described as "tax" is requested before withdrawal (759 reviews).Source: Savun Law investment fraud reviews, 4,751 reviews, November 2026
25.7% — Share of schemes operating under more than one name (1,220 reviews).Source: Savun Law investment fraud reviews, 4,751 reviews, November 2026
11.2% — Share of schemes that use the name of a real brokerage, bank or company without permission (532 reviews).Source: Savun Law investment fraud reviews, 4,751 reviews, November 2026
10.3% — Share of schemes where the account is reported to have been frozen, closed or zeroed after a withdrawal request (490 reviews).Source: Savun Law investment fraud reviews, 4,751 reviews, November 2026
9.8% — Share of schemes claiming a licence or regulatory registration that is unverifiable, belongs to another institution or comes from abroad (464 reviews).Source: Savun Law investment fraud reviews, 4,751 reviews, November 2026
18.8% — Share of schemes using more than one domain name among the 2,119 schemes where a domain name was identified (399 reviews).Source: Savun Law investment fraud reviews, 4,751 reviews, November 2026
72.5% — Share of .com domains among the 2,619 domain names identified. The share of Türkiye-extension (.tr) domains is 0.3%.Source: Savun Law investment fraud reviews, 4,751 reviews, November 2026
3,898 / 3,898 — All schemes whose Capital Markets Board (SPK) authorisation was checked are unauthorised in Türkiye.Source: Savun Law investment fraud reviews, 4,751 reviews, November 2026

Infographic: investment fraud in figures

Infographic: investment fraud statistics in Türkiye. Share of schemes where the problem is reported at the withdrawal stage: 56.2%; share where an extra payment is demanded for withdrawal: 26.4%. — Investment fraud data in Türkiye, November 2026. The image may be used with attribution.

To use the image on your own site:

<a href="https://savun.av.tr/yatirim-dolandiriciligi-istatistikleri/"><img src="https://savun.av.tr/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/yatirim-dolandiriciligi-istatistikleri-infografik.png" alt="Investment fraud statistics in Türkiye" width="540"></a><br>Source: <a href="https://savun.av.tr/yatirim-dolandiriciligi-istatistikleri/">Savun Law</a>

What happens at the withdrawal stage?

The pattern repeated most often in the reviews is that problems begin not when money is deposited but when withdrawal is attempted. In 2,670 reviews (56.2%), the method summary points directly to the withdrawal stage.

Situation reported at the withdrawal stage	Reviews	Share
Extra payment required for withdrawal (any reason)	1,253	26.4%
Payment requested as "tax"	759	16.0%
Account frozen, closed or balance zeroed	490	10.3%
Payment requested as "commission"	340	7.2%
"Verification" or "activation" fee	307	6.5%
Contact cut off, no reply	260	5.5%
"Collateral", "insurance" or "deposit" requested	234	4.9%
Trading volume (lot) requirement	223	4.7%

Shares are calculated on all 4,751 reviews. One review may be counted in more than one row.

Promises and persuasion methods

Method	Reviews	Share
Promise of high, fixed or guaranteed returns	570	12.0%
Fake profit or growing balance shown on the dashboard	410	8.6%
Pressure for extra deposits, tiered packages or a "VIP account"	399	8.4%
Bonus offer	281	5.9%
Promise of artificial intelligence, robots or automated trading	203	4.3%
Promise of signals, copy trading or account management	194	4.1%
Lending or extending credit	43	0.9%

Because the method summaries are kept short, a method not mentioned in them is not counted here; the real shares may be higher.

Through which channel is first contact made?

The contact channel is stated in 823 of the 4,751 reviews. The distribution of channels in these reviews is below.

Contact channel	Reviews	Share
WhatsApp or Telegram	362	44.0%
Telephone call	306	37.2%
Social media and online advertising	252	30.6%

Shares are calculated on the 823 reviews that state a contact channel; more than one channel may appear in a review. Telegram appears in 221 reviews and WhatsApp in 187.

In addition, 330 of the reviews (6.9%) are directly about a WhatsApp or Telegram investment group.

Identity: imitated institutions and licence claims

Indicator	Reviews	Share
Operating under more than one name	1,220	25.7%
Using a real institution's name without permission	532	11.2%
Unverifiable licence claim or one belonging to another institution	464	9.8%
Offshore registration or licence	179	3.8%

At least 236 of the institutions whose names are used without permission are brokerage, investment or portfolio management companies; at least 28 are banks. The real institutions named in these reviews have no connection with the schemes in question.

Domain names

A total of 2,619 domain names were identified in 2,119 reviews. In 399 schemes (18.8%), more than one domain name is used.

Domain extension	Domains	Share
.com	1,899	72.5%
.net	121	4.6%
.org	89	3.4%
.live	51	1.9%
.pro	50	1.9%
.io	45	1.7%
.co	33	1.3%
.top	27	1.0%

Shares are calculated on the 2,619 domain names identified. Number of Türkiye-extension (.tr, .com.tr) domains: 9.

Breakdown by product type

Most of the reviews concern leveraged trading (forex and CFD) platforms. Types tracked in separate categories:

Type	Reviews	Share
Crypto asset platforms	562	11.8%
WhatsApp and Telegram investment groups	330	6.9%
"Complete tasks, earn money" schemes	91	1.9%

One review may appear in more than one category.

Among the reviews that state a payment route, payment was requested in crypto assets in 205 and into individuals' accounts in 77.

How the data was obtained

Scope. The dataset consists of the 4,751 reviews that Savun Law & Consultancy published or updated between March 2025 and November 2026. Each review concerns a single scheme (a platform, site, group or family of names).

Basis of the reviews. The reviews rely on public notices, regulatory records and information published by the scheme itself.

Counting. The summary table at the start of each review (Board authorisation, known names, method, domain name) was read by machine; the "method" field was classified with predetermined key phrases. One review may fall into more than one class. The Board authorisation field is present in 3,898 reviews and the domain name field in 2,119 reviews.

Updates. The page is recalculated once a month. The numbers change as new reviews are added; the address of the page stays the same.

The reviews behind the data can be searched by platform name or domain name with the investment platform lookupTR tool.

Limits of the data

The data reflects the schemes that Savun Law has reviewed; it is not a sample representing all cases in Türkiye.
The count is a number of reviews; it does not show the number of victims or the amount of loss.
Method summaries are short. Because a method not mentioned in a summary is not counted, the shares should be read as lower bounds.
Classification by key phrase carries a small margin of error; the figures are approximate.

How to cite this data

The data may be used with attribution. Suggested format:

Savun Law & Consultancy, "Investment Fraud Statistics in Türkiye", November 2026, savun.av.tr/yatirim-dolandiriciligi-istatistikleri/

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common method in investment fraud in Türkiye?

In Savun Law's 4,751 reviews, the pattern repeated most often is obstruction at the withdrawal stage (56.2%). In some of the reviews, withdrawal is made conditional on a new payment described as tax, commission or verification fee (26.4%).

How often is a tax payment requested before withdrawal?

In 759 of the 4,751 schemes reviewed, a payment described as tax was reported to be requested before withdrawal (16.0%). At authorised institutions, tax is withheld at source on the earnings in the cases provided for by legislation.

Through which channel do fraudsters most often make contact?

In the 823 reviews that state a contact channel, WhatsApp or Telegram appears in 44.0%, telephone calls in 37.2%, and social media and online advertising in 30.6%.

How often are the names of real institutions imitated?

In 532 of the 4,751 reviews, the name of a real brokerage, bank or company is used without permission (11.2%). The institutions whose names are used have no connection with these schemes.

Where can an institution's Capital Markets Board (SPK) authorisation be seen?

The list of authorised brokerage firms and banks is publicly available on the website of the Capital Markets Board (SPK). The Board publishes its decisions on websites where it has detected unauthorised activity in its weekly bulletins.

How often is this data updated?

The page is recalculated once a month as new reviews are added. The date of the last update appears at the top of the page.

For detailed information and legal support, you can contact Savun Law & Consultancy.

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This page is an English adaptation of our Turkish article Türkiye'de Yatırım Dolandırıcılığı İstatistikleri: 4.751 İncelemenin Verileri.

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