Scammed in Türkiye? Step-by-Step Legal Guide (2026)

The question "what should I do after being scammed?" is usually asked in the first minutes after the money is sent, or at the moment the other side stops answering the phone. The decisions taken at that point directly affect whether the trail of the money can be followed and which evidence the investigation starts with. Online shopping, phone calls from a fake "bank officer" or "prosecutor", rented IBAN accounts, social media adverts and, above all, investment traps built on forex, crypto and share promises look different, but the legal framework is largely shared: fraud is regulated in Article 157 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), and its qualified forms in Article 158; a criminal complaint is filed with the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office or with law enforcement. This guide explains, step by step, the rules in force as of 2026, the application channels, the process after a criminal complaint, the ways the money can be recovered and the court stage. When an assessment specific to a case is needed, working with a fraud lawyerTR matters for presenting the evidence in the right order.

🚨 What to Do After Being Scammed: The Steps That Matter in the First Hours

In fraud cases the most valuable resource is time. Once money reaches an account, it is usually moved within minutes to other accounts, payment institutions or crypto-asset platforms. For this reason, in practice, notifications made in the first hours can be more decisive than everything done in the following months.

Notifying the bank and the 48-hour suspension option

Article 128/A, added to the CMK by Law No. 7571 of 24.12.2025, is the most important change of recent years for victims. Under it, where there is reasonable suspicion of qualified fraud committed by using information systems or banks or credit institutions as a tool (TCK Article 158/1-f), fraud committed by posing as a public official or bank employee (Article 158/1-l), qualified theft through information systems (Article 142/2-e) or misuse of bank or credit cards (Article 245), a bank, payment service provider or crypto-asset service provider may suspend the account used in the offence for up to forty-eight hours. The institution immediately notifies the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of this action together with all documents; if the money has been transferred to another institution, that institution is informed as well.

During the suspension period, the benefit connected with the offence in the account may be seized by a judge's order or, where delay would be harmful, by the prosecutor's written order. In practice, therefore, it is decisive that the victim's own bank and the bank that received the money are informed without losing time, with the transaction time, the amount and the recipient IBAN. Applying to the prosecutor's office after notifying the bank also matters, so that the 48-hour period can turn into a seizure.

Card and account security: "scammed through my card" situations

Where card details, one-time passwords or mobile banking access have passed to third parties, blocking the cards for use and renewing internet banking passwords are among the steps taken at the first stage. Obtaining a benefit by using another person's card without consent is a separate offence under TCK Article 245/1, punishable by three to six years' imprisonment. In Court of Cassation decisions, cases where the victim personally sent the money may be assessed as fraud, while cases where the offender carried out the transaction himself with the information obtained may be assessed as card or information-system offences; this distinction makes it important to describe the event correctly in the petition.

Preserving evidence: receipts, messages, IBAN

A victim who says "I have the receipt" or "I have the IBAN number" already holds the two most critical pieces of data in an investigation. In practice, the following records form the backbone of the investigation:

The thought "I was scammed but I have no proof" is often misleading. Even if messages have been deleted, bank records, operator records and platform records can be requested by a letter from the prosecutor's office; under CMK Article 128/A-7, banks, payment service providers and crypto-asset service providers are obliged to send the requested information or documents within ten days. Describing the event concretely in the petition, with the date, time, amount and channel, makes it easier to complete missing documents through official channels.

🏛️ Where Can a Scam Be Reported?

The answer to questions such as "where can I report a scam", "to whom can I complain" and "can I complain at the police station" lies in CMK Article 158: a notification or complaint about an offence may be made to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office or to law enforcement authorities (police, gendarmerie). The application may be in writing or oral, to be recorded in a report (Article 158/5). A petition submitted to a governorship, district governorship or court is forwarded to the relevant chief public prosecutor's office (Article 158/2); for offences committed abroad that need to be prosecuted in Türkiye, applications may also be made to embassies and consulates (Article 158/3).

There is no difference in legal consequence between an application to a police station and a petition submitted directly to the prosecutor's office; on both routes the case reaches the prosecutor, who, under CMK Article 160, begins investigating the truth as soon as he learns of a situation giving the impression that an offence has been committed. In practice, submitting documents with an orderly petition prevents details from being lost when the statement is put into the record.

What does an application to CİMER do in a fraud case?

The search "scammed CİMER" is very common; however, under Article 6/b of the Law on the Exercise of the Right to Petition No. 3071, petitions on matters within the remit of judicial authorities cannot be examined. Since fraud is an offence, the power to investigate and prosecute belongs to the prosecutor's office. An application to CİMER (the Presidential Communication Centre) does not replace a criminal complaint; to avoid losing time, the prosecutor's office or law enforcement channel is taken as the main route.

The bank, the SPK and the consumer arbitration committee

Notifying the bank does not replace the criminal investigation; it complements it. In frauds carried out with investment promises, a report to the Capital Markets Board (SPK) is also possible; when it detects unauthorised activity, the SPK files a criminal complaint and may impose an access ban on internet broadcasts (Capital Markets Law, SPKn, Article 99). Details are in our article on complaining to the SPKTR. On the question of the consumer arbitration committee, the distinction matters: consumer arbitration committees hear disputes between a seller and a consumer arising from consumer transactions (Law No. 6502, Articles 3 and 68). A defective or incomplete product bought from a genuine seller may be assessed within this scope; a product that never existed or a fake advert is a matter for the criminal investigation. The monetary threshold for applying to the committee is updated every year at the revaluation rate.

"Scammed, but it does not show on e-Devlet"

It is common for a file not to appear immediately in online systems after a criminal complaint. Under CMK Article 157, procedural acts in the investigation phase are confidential; whether the file can be viewed depends on registration and allocation procedures and on its confidentiality status. This alone does not mean that the application has not been processed; the investigation number can be learned from the prosecutor's office bureau where the application was made. e-Devlet is Türkiye's e-government portal.

⏳ Until When Can a Scam Be Reported?

Although some content online says there is a six-month complaint period for simple fraud, this information is not correct. Fraud, regulated in TCK Articles 157 and 158, is not an offence that depends on a complaint; the prosecutor's office investigates on its own motion as soon as it learns of the offence. Being within the scope of mediation and depending on a complaint are different concepts.

The decisive period is the limitation period for prosecution. Under TCK Article 66, the limitation period is 8 years for offences requiring imprisonment of not more than five years and 15 years for offences requiring imprisonment of more than five and less than twenty years. Since the upper limit is five years for simple fraud and ten years for qualified fraud, the periods are 8 and 15 years respectively. However, although the period is long, evidence and the money trail are lost over time; the practical answer to "what happens if I do not report the scam" is that delay weakens the evidence and the chance of collection far more than it weakens the legal right.

📂 After a Complaint Is Filed: How Does the Fraud Process Work?

Questions such as "I applied to the prosecutor after being scammed" and "I made a complaint, what happens next" come from people wondering about the stages of the process. The general flow is as follows:

1. Start of the investigation: The prosecutor collects the evidence in favour of and against the suspect (CMK Article 160/2). Bank account movements, the identity of the IBAN holder, and IP and operator records are requested.
2. The victim's statement and rights: In the investigation, the victim has the right to request that evidence be collected and, provided the confidentiality of the investigation is not harmed, to request copies of documents (CMK Article 234/1-a).
3. Mediation: Simple fraud (TCK Article 157) is within the scope of mediation under CMK Article 253/1-b-8; qualified fraud (Article 158) is not on that list. Where an offence within the scope of mediation is committed against the same victim together with an offence outside it, the mediation provisions do not apply (Article 253/3). If no reply to a mediation offer is given within seven days, the offer is deemed rejected (Article 253/4). If reconciliation is reached, a separate compensation claim cannot be brought for the same offence, except for losses that could not be identified at the time of reconciliation (Article 253/19); the amount of the performance and the manner of payment therefore matter.
4. Decision not to prosecute: If evidence establishing sufficient suspicion cannot be obtained, the prosecutor gives this decision and notifies the victim (CMK Article 172). The victim may object to the criminal judgeship of peace within two weeks of notification (Article 173). For details, see our article on the objection petition against a decision not to prosecuteTR.
5. Indictment and trial: If there is sufficient suspicion, an indictment is prepared and the trial begins in the criminal court.
6. Joining the case: The victim may join the public prosecution by declaring that he is a complainant until the judgment is given by the court of first instance (CMK Articles 237-238). Intervening party status is a condition for using the appeal routes (CMK Article 234/1-b-6); a request to join cannot be made for the first time at the regional appeal or cassation stage.

If a complaint is regarded as "abstract and general", a decision that there is no ground to conduct an investigation may be given under CMK Article 158/6. This risk makes concrete data such as the date, amount, IBAN and correspondence important in the petition.

💰 Can the Money Be Recovered After a Scam?

"Will my money come back after a scam" and "when can I get my money" are the most frequently asked questions. The honest answer is this: there is more than one legal route, but none of them produces a result automatically or within a fixed period. What determines the outcome is where the money is, the identity of the account holder and how early action is taken.

Seizure and return to the victim

CMK Article 128 allows, for fraud (TCK Articles 157 and 158), the seizure by a judge's decision of the suspect's bank accounts, rights, receivables and other assets; seizure may be made even when the assets are in the hands of a person other than the suspect. CMK Article 128/A-5 expressly provides that where it is established that the seized benefit in a suspended account belongs to the victim, it is returned to its owner during the investigation or prosecution phase. This provision is the legal basis for the money being able to return without waiting for the end of the trial in cases where notification was made quickly.

Precautionary attachment and the compensation claim

Once the account holder or offender is identified, on the civil side the debtor's assets can be secured until the end of the case through precautionary attachment (İİK Article 257). The main claim is the compensation claim based on TBK Article 49, which regulates liability for unlawful acts: a person who causes damage to another by a wrongful and unlawful act is obliged to compensate that damage. As a rule, a compensation claim is time-barred two years from the date the damage and the person liable are learned of, and in any case ten years; however, if the act constitutes an offence subject to a longer limitation period under criminal law, that period applies (TBK Article 72). The answer to "how can I bring a case after being scammed" is this two-stage structure; the evidence in the criminal file is also used in the civil case.

The liability of the bank

Banks, as institutions of trust, are under a heavy duty of care. In the event that was the subject of the decision of the 11th Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation dated 03.12.2024, Docket No. (E.) 2024/281, Decision No. (K.) 2024/8609, persons posing as the bank's call centre directed the victim, and many transactions were made from the victim's account at short intervals; the courts found the bank 50% at fault, as well as the victim who shared his details, because it did not intervene in the suspicious transactions in time. The Court of Cassation rejected the bank's appeal objections and treated the partial acceptance of the claim, when it should have been accepted in full according to the fault ratio, as a ground for reversal. The details of the subject are covered in our article on the bank's liability in investment fraudTR.

Effective repentance and the mediation performance

Under TCK Article 168, if the offender fully compensates the damage before the prosecution begins, the sentence is reduced by up to two thirds; if he compensates it after the prosecution has begun and before judgment, the reduction is up to one half; for partial compensation, the victim's consent is required for a reduction. In practice this provision is an important tool that leads offenders towards making repayment. For crypto assets, our article on how to recover scammed crypto moneyTR may also serve as a guide.

⚖️ Which Court Hears a Scam Case? How Long Does It Take?

In criminal proceedings the competent court is determined by the penalty provided in law. Under Law No. 5235 Article 12, the high criminal court (assize court) hears offences requiring imprisonment of more than ten years, and under Article 11 the criminal court of first instance hears other offences.

Since the upper limit of the penalty in TCK Article 158/1 is ten years, the case is, as a rule, heard in the criminal court of first instance in that situation. Where the upper limit exceeds ten years because of aggravating grounds, such as the allegation that the offence was committed by three or more persons together or within the activity of an organisation, the jurisdiction of the high criminal court comes into question; Court of Cassation decisions include cases in which criminal courts of first instance declined jurisdiction after assessing the qualified forms. The details of the qualified forms are in our article on qualified fraudTR.

There is no fixed answer to "how long does the case take after a scam" or "when will the case be concluded". The duration is determined by the identification of the offender, the speed of replies from banks and platforms, the number of victims and suspects, expert examination, and the regional appeal and cassation stages. Since the compensation claim proceeds separately, the civil and criminal processes can move in parallel.

🗺️ What to Do After Being Scammed: A Short Roadmap by Type

Questions such as "what should I do after being scammed online", "what should I do after being scammed by phone" or "scammed through Telegram" rest on the same basic steps; however, each type of fraud brings forward a different set of evidence and a different legal characterisation. The table below summarises which points matter in the most common scenarios:

The IBAN number is known: the account holder's liability

The fourth paragraph added to TCK Article 158 by Law No. 7589 of 16.07.2026 directly regulates the matter of rented accounts. Accordingly, where participation in fraud is limited to giving another person, for an unjust benefit, payment instruments such as a bank or credit card belonging to oneself or another, or the information and instruments that enable the use of an account held with a bank, intermediary institution, payment service provider or crypto-asset service provider, the penalty to be imposed is reduced by one half. The provision shows that a person who rents out his account is held liable as a participant in the offence, and only the penalty is reduced.

The Court of Cassation also approaches such defences with caution. In its decision of the 8th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation dated 13.11.2024, Docket No. (E.) 2022/4986, Decision No. (K.) 2024/8706, the defence of an account holder who claimed to have given his bank card, in return for money, to a person he met in a park and whose identity he did not know was not accepted, on the ground that cards from two different banks were used and that letting an unknown person use a card is not in line with the ordinary course of life; the judgment, which had been given under a lighter legal characterisation on the basis that the defendants acted together, was reversed. This is the legal answer to "I was scammed and I have the IBAN number": the IBAN is the first and most concrete starting point both in the criminal investigation and in the compensation claim. For details of online scenarios, see our article on internet fraud.

📈 Separate Points for Forex, Crypto and Share Scams

For a person who has lost money on a forex, crypto or share promise, the question of what to do after being scammed requires a more complex answer. Unlike a one-off deception, investment frauds are built on a relationship of trust lasting weeks or months. The victim first deposits a small amount, sees high profits on the screen, and is then steered towards new payments under the names "tax", "commission" or "account opening fee". In these cases, capital markets legislation comes into play alongside the fraud provisions:

Whether the platform invested in is authorised can be checked through the SPK licence queryTR methods; the SPK's statements on unauthorised activities are on the SPK's official page. Our articles on the subject: forex fraudTR, where to report crypto fraudTR and task scams. In cases requiring analysis of the crypto transfer chain, the support of a crypto lawyerTR comes into question, and in cases involving share and IPO promises, that of a stock market lawyerTR.

📝 For Those Looking for a Scam Petition Template: What Does the Petition Contain?

Searches such as "scam petition template" and "criminal complaint petition template pdf" are very common; however, since the account of each event is different, using a ready-made text word for word may leave out the most important details of the event. A criminal complaint petition generally contains the following sections:

For files involving crypto assets, our article on the criminal complaint petition for crypto fraudTR, which explains the sections one by one, can also be reviewed.

🛡️ Not Being Scammed Twice: The Money-Recovery Promise Trap

A significant share of victims meet a second wave after being scammed. Persons presenting themselves as lawyers, "fund recovery specialists", cyber security companies, international bodies or public officials promise that the lost money will "definitely" be brought back, and ask for an advance "case fee", "tax" or "block removal fee". This method is known as recovery scams.

In the event that was the subject of the 8th Criminal Chamber decision mentioned above, too, the victim was called by the same persons a few days after the first scam and sent money three more times under the names "to refund the money", "to lift the block" and "signature fee". In practice the following signs stand out: a certain outcome is promised, payment is requested to a private individual's IBAN or a crypto wallet, no proof of authority or bar registration details are shared, and there is deadline pressure such as "the case will be closed today". In Türkiye, legal services can be provided only by lawyers registered with a bar association, and the outcome of no legal process can be promised in advance. For this reason, adverts promising to bring the money back that appear before someone searching for what to do after being scammed also require separate caution.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

There is no single correct answer to what should be done after being scammed; the type of event, the path the money took and the time elapsed require a different strategy in each case. Preliminary information can also be requested through our Ask a LawyerTR page. For detailed information and legal support, you can contact Savun Law & Consultancy.