This is the English version of a Turkish article. The original, with further detail and linked petition templates, is at Telefon Dolandırıcılığı: İlk 24 Saatte Ne Yapmalı?.
In fraud, the first hours decide everything: once the money leaves your account it is usually moved between several accounts and withdrawn. So the order is fixed — first call the bank and ask for the transfer to be stopped, then, the same day, apply to the prosecutor or the police and ask for a block on the receiving account.
Someone calls saying they are from the bank: “your account has been compromised, let us move your money to a safe account”. Or you send a deposit for something advertised on social media. By the time you realise, the money is gone.
Two mistakes follow. People are embarrassed and wait, or they ask friends first. In fact the chance of recovering the money is highest in the first hours and falls away quickly. This article sets out what to do, in order.
The First Hour
The first step is not the prosecutor: it is calling your bank. If the money has not yet been withdrawn from the receiving account, it may be possible to block it.
Tell the bank: the date and time of the transaction, the amount, the receiving account or IBAN, and that it was made as a result of fraud. Even if you report it by phone, repeat it in writing — at a branch, through internet banking, or by e-mail. A written record matters later if the bank's own liability is in issue.
If you gave out card details, have the card cancelled at once; if your internet banking credentials were taken, change the passwords and check your phone for applications you did not install.
Where to Complain, and What to Ask For
The complaint can be made directly to the public prosecutor or through the police. If you file it in person, always take a stamped copy.
Saying “I was defrauded” is not enough. Ask for:
- the details of the holder of the receiving account to be obtained from the bank
- the account movements to be examined and a block placed on any remaining balance
- the subscriber and call detail records for the number used to be obtained from the operator
- where a fake site or advertisement was involved, the domain and server records
Most of these records are deleted after set periods. If the requests are not written into the complaint, time is lost even where the prosecutor would have sought them anyway.
When Is It Aggravated Fraud?
The basic offence is in Article 157 of the Criminal Code and the aggravated forms in Article 158. The aggravated forms carry markedly heavier penalties, and the offence is not dependent on a complaint.
The forms most often met in practice:
- using information systems as the means — an online advertisement, a fake site, a messaging application
- using banks or credit institutions as the means
- the offender holding themselves out as a public official or a bank employee
- the offence being committed by more than one person together
That characterisation is not fixed by your complaint; the prosecutor and the court decide it. But describing concretely what means were used makes the right characterisation easier.
How the Money Is Recovered
The criminal file secures the punishment of the offender; it does not by itself return your money. But the evidence obtained in it is the foundation of the claim.
The civil route aims at recovery directly. Once it is established who received the money, a claim can be brought against them, and a precautionary attachment sought beforehand. Where the offender cannot be identified this route does not work — which is why identification in the criminal investigation is vital.
A third question is the bank's liability. It may be argued that the bank breached its own security obligations, or failed to detect and stop an unusual transaction. That depends on the circumstances and does not succeed in every case.
The Common Scenarios
The fake bank official. The caller presents themselves as from the bank or a public authority, says your account is at risk, and asks you to move your money to another account. No bank ever asks a customer to transfer money to another account, or asks for a password or a one-time code.
A deposit on an advertisement. A deposit is sent for a car, a flat or a device, and then the advertiser cannot be reached. Never send a deposit without seeing the goods; and if you must pay, pay by a traceable method.
The investment promise. Platforms offering “guaranteed returns” build trust with small early payments and then collect large sums. Lawfully operating institutions cannot promise guaranteed returns; the phrase itself is the warning.
First the bank (the chance of a block), then the prosecutor (obtaining the records), then the civil claim (recovery). Take them out of order and the money has usually gone. Waiting out of embarrassment is exactly what the fraud relies on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the very first thing to do?
Call your bank and ask for the transfer to be stopped and the receiving account blocked — then repeat the report in writing. Only after that, the prosecutor.
What should the complaint ask for?
The receiving account holder's details and account movements from the bank, a block on any balance, the subscriber and call detail records from the operator, and the domain and server records for any fake site.
Will the criminal case get my money back?
Not by itself. It punishes the offender and produces the evidence; recovery is pursued in a civil claim, ideally with a precautionary attachment.
Is a complaint required for fraud?
Not in the aggravated forms under Article 158 — committed through information systems, through banks, by someone posing as an official, or by several people together.
Can the bank be liable?
It can be argued where the bank breached its security obligations or failed to stop an unusual transaction, but it depends on the facts and does not succeed in every case.