Online Fraud in Turkey: How Foreign Victims Can Freeze Accounts and Recover Funds

Last legal review: 6 September 2026. This guide reflects Articles 128/A, 131, 158, 160, 234 and 267–271 of the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code (Law No. 5271), including the rapid account-suspension mechanism introduced by Law No. 7571 on 24 December 2025. The official Turkish wording controls.

Online fraud in Turkey can often be traced through a Turkish bank account, payment institution or crypto-asset service provider even when the victim lives abroad. Recovery is not achieved by sending a cancellation email to the bank alone. The effective route is to preserve the payment evidence, notify the sending institution immediately, submit a detailed criminal complaint, identify the Turkish financial account and request the protective measures that match the transaction.

Direct answer: Under Article 128/A of the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code, an account used for specified cyber-enabled offences may be suspended by the relevant bank, payment service provider or crypto-asset service provider for up to forty-eight hours where reasonable suspicion exists. During that window, the criminal proceeds may be seized by a judge or, in urgent circumstances, by a written order of the public prosecutor subject to prompt judicial review. If the seized proceeds are established to belong to the victim, Article 128/A expressly permits their return during the investigation or prosecution. Forty-eight hours is the maximum institutional suspension period; it is not a general deadline for filing a complaint and it is not a promise of repayment.

What should a foreign victim do immediately after discovering the fraud?

There is no statutory “thirty-minute rule.” Speed matters because fraud proceeds may move through several accounts within minutes. The first-response sequence should be practical, documented and legally usable.

1. Contact the sending bank or payment provider through its official channel. Report fraud, identify the transaction and request an interbank recall or fraud notification. Record the case number, date, time and name or department of the person handling the report.
2. Secure the compromised account. If the fraud involved remote access, a stolen card, a duplicated SIM or a compromised email address, change credentials from a clean device, terminate active sessions and notify the mobile operator. Do not erase the device before preserving the evidence.
3. Download the formal transaction record. Keep the PDF receipt and the full statement. It should show the sender, beneficiary name, Turkish IBAN or account, amount, currency, date, time, payment reference and SWIFT, FAST or transfer identifier where available.
4. Preserve communications in their original form. Export messages and retain email headers, profile identifiers, website addresses, telephone numbers, invoices, contracts and the advertisement that induced the payment.
5. Prepare a criminal complaint directed to the Turkish transaction chain. Identify every known Turkish bank, payment account, crypto platform or wallet and request investigation, rapid suspension, seizure and return of the traced proceeds.

Do not send an additional “tax,” “release fee,” “AML certificate charge,” “recovery commission” or “court deposit” to a private account. Fraudsters frequently impersonate lawyers, banks, regulators or recovery companies after the first loss. A Turkish prosecutor does not unlock recovered money by asking the victim to pay a fee to an individual IBAN.

The four recovery routes under Turkish law

Route	Purpose	Decision-maker	What it does
Institutional suspension	Stop specified cybercrime proceeds from moving for a short period	The relevant bank, payment provider or crypto-asset service provider under Article 128/A	Suspends the relevant account for no more than forty-eight hours
Criminal seizure	Place identified criminal proceeds under judicial protection	A judge; in urgent Article 128/A cases, a prosecutor may issue a written order subject to judicial review	Prevents disposal of the identified proceeds
Return in criminal proceedings	Restore traced and seized funds to their proven owner	The competent investigation or trial authority	Returns proceeds once victim ownership is established under the applicable provision
Civil recovery	Obtain a judgment for unpaid loss where criminal return is incomplete	The competent Turkish civil or commercial court	Determines restitution, contractual or tort liability and enforceable compensation

These routes are complementary, not interchangeable. Suspension is temporary and does not decide ownership. Seizure is a protective criminal-procedure measure and does not by itself establish guilt. Return requires proof connecting the traced asset to the victim. A civil judgment addresses liability for the remaining loss but may take longer and requires a properly identified defendant.

How does Article 128/A of the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code work?

Article 128/A entered the Code through Law No. 7571. It addresses accounts used in transactions connected with specific offences listed in the Turkish Criminal Code:

• aggravated theft under Article 142(2)(e),
• aggravated fraud under Article 158(1)(f) and (l), and
• misuse of bank or credit cards under Article 245.

Where there is reasonable suspicion that one of these offences has been committed, the relevant financial institution may suspend an account used for the transaction, or attempted transaction, for up to forty-eight hours. The rule expressly covers banks, payment service providers and crypto-asset service providers. It therefore reaches more than a conventional Turkish IBAN.

The institution must immediately report the suspension and the account movements, together with the available information and documents, to the competent Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The account holder must also be informed. The account holder may apply to the prosecutor for removal of the suspension, and the prosecutor must decide that application within twenty-four hours. This twenty-four-hour decision period belongs to the account holder’s application against suspension; it is not a repayment deadline for the victim.

If the proceeds have already been transferred to another financial institution before the suspension is completed, the first institution must notify the receiving institution without delay so that the suspension mechanism can be considered there. A foreign victim’s complaint should therefore show the entire known path, not merely the first recipient’s name.

Does Article 128/A cover every blocked Turkish account?

No. A bank may restrict an account for contractual security checks. A tax authority may impose a public receivables attachment. An enforcement office may issue an attachment in debt enforcement. Transactions may be postponed under Article 19/A of Law No. 5549, and assets may be frozen under other legislation. Criminal seizure under Articles 128 or 128/A is yet another mechanism. The word “blocked” on a banking screen does not identify the legal basis.

The correct first question is: who ordered or initiated the restriction, on what date, under which file number and over what amount? A request addressed to “MASAK” is legally misdirected if the restriction is in fact an enforcement attachment or a prosecutor’s seizure order.

What is the difference between Article 128 and Article 128/A?

Article 128 is the general rule for seizure of immovables, vehicles, bank accounts, claims, securities, partnership interests, safe-deposit contents and other assets in relation to listed serious offences. It requires concrete evidence supporting strong suspicion that the offence was committed and that the asset was obtained from it. For the Article 128 measure, seizure may be ordered only by a judge, and the statutory institutional-report requirement applies where the provision requires it.

Article 128/A is a faster and narrower cybercrime mechanism. It begins with reasonable suspicion, applies only to the specified offences and permits a forty-eight-hour institutional suspension. For seizure of the criminal proceeds during that period, a prosecutor may issue a written order in urgent circumstances, subject to the statutory judicial-approval timetable. The institutional report required by Article 128 is not required for a seizure under Article 128/A.

How are criminal proceeds seized and returned to a foreign victim?

During the suspension period, the criminal proceeds may be seized upon a judge’s decision. In an urgent case, the public prosecutor may order seizure in writing. A seizure carried out without a prior judicial decision must be submitted to the competent judge for approval within twenty-four hours. The judge must announce the decision within forty-eight hours from seizure; otherwise the seizure automatically lapses.

Article 128/A(5) states that seized criminal proceeds are returned to their owner during the investigation or prosecution when they are understood to belong to the victim. The rule does not require the victim to wait for every criminal case to reach a final judgment. It does require an identifiable asset and reliable proof of ownership.

A well-supported return application normally addresses five points:

1. the exact payment that left the victim’s account;
2. the fraudulent representation that caused the payment;
3. the Turkish recipient account or the traceable financial path;
4. the seizure record, bank response or prosecutor’s correspondence identifying the retained amount; and
5. the connection between the retained proceeds and the applicant’s loss.

Where one collection account received payments from several victims, the authorities must distinguish the claimants and the available balance. A statement that “money was found in the account” does not establish that the entire balance belongs to one complainant. Each transfer should be listed separately with currency, amount and reference.

Article 131 also governs return of seized property. Under Article 131(2), assets seized under Article 128 are returned to the victim-owner when they belong to that victim and are no longer required as evidence. The legal basis used in the file should be identified before drafting the request.

Can the prosecutor seize the whole balance?

Article 128/A focuses on the proceeds of the offence. The order should identify the criminally connected amount and transaction. If the account also contains salary, legitimate business revenue or money belonging to unrelated third parties, those interests require a separate assessment. A temporary operational block over the account is not a final confiscation of every unit of currency in it.

How can a foreign victim file a criminal complaint in Turkey?

Article 158 of the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code provides that a criminal report or complaint may be submitted to a public prosecutor’s office or law-enforcement authority. It may be written or made orally for recording in an official report. A complaint submitted to a court, governorship or district governorship is forwarded to the relevant prosecutor.

Article 158(3) also permits reports or complaints to be made to a Turkish embassy or consulate concerning offences committed abroad that must be prosecuted in Turkey. In a cross-border fraud involving a Turkish financial account, the jurisdictional analysis depends on where the conduct and result occurred, where the suspect and account are located and the offence under investigation. The victim should not delay the first report merely because the precise Turkish city is unknown.

A foreign victim may appoint a Turkish lawyer to file and follow the complaint. Counsel can locate the investigation, submit translated evidence, request bank and platform records, seek protective measures and file return or objection applications. A complaint does not need to identify the ultimate fraudster by full civil identity if the transaction identifiers allow the authorities to investigate.

What should the written complaint contain?

• The victim’s full name, nationality, passport or identity information and reliable contact details.
• A concise chronological account of the fraudulent approach, representation and payment.
• Every telephone number, email, username, website, platform profile and company name used.
• A transaction table listing date, time, amount, currency, sender account, recipient, Turkish IBAN or wallet, bank and reference number.
• The dates and case numbers of reports made to the sending bank, card issuer, marketplace or platform.
• The known onward-transfer information, payment account, crypto exchange or wallet address.
• A clear request for preservation of digital records, identification of the account holder and operators, account movements, Article 128/A suspension and seizure where the statutory conditions are met, and return of traced victim funds.

An abstract complaint saying only “I was scammed” does not give the prosecutor a usable financial target. Under Article 160, the prosecutor must investigate promptly after learning of circumstances indicating an offence and must collect evidence both for and against the suspect. The victim’s role is to provide a precise starting point and preserve material that may otherwise disappear.

What rights does the victim have in the investigation?

Article 234 gives victims and complainants the right to request the collection of evidence, request copies from the prosecutor without undermining the confidentiality and purpose of the investigation, have the file reviewed through counsel within the statutory limits, and object to a decision not to prosecute. During the trial, the victim may request admission as a participating party, receive notice of the hearing, request witnesses and use appellate remedies if the statutory conditions are met.

A refusal of a return or protective-measure request should be examined by reference to the type of decision and the available remedy. Under the general objection rule in Article 268, where no special provision applies, an objection is filed with the authority that issued the decision within two weeks from the date the interested person learned of it. An objection does not automatically stay enforcement; a stay requires a separate decision under Article 269.

Cross-border evidence checklist

Evidence	What it proves	Practical preparation
Formal bank receipt and full statement	Origin, beneficiary, date, amount and transaction reference	Obtain the institution-generated PDF, not only a screenshot
SWIFT, FAST or payment reference	The unique interbank transaction and routing information	Ask the sending institution to include all identifiers
Messages and email headers	The false representation, identity used and timeline	Export chats and preserve metadata and original files
Website and platform data	The advertisement, account and digital service involved	Record the URL, account identifier, screenshots and access date
Crypto transaction hash	The public blockchain transfer path	State the network, TXID, wallet addresses, exchange and time zone
Identity and authority documents	Who owns the claim and who may act	Provide a readable passport copy and properly issued power of attorney if represented
Certified translation where required	Allows Turkish authorities to assess foreign-language documents	Prioritise the complaint, transfer records and decisive communications

Preserve the original language. Translation should supplement rather than replace the source document. Time zones must be stated for cross-border transaction logs. If the beneficiary name on the receipt is transliterated differently from the name appearing in messages or a passport, explain the discrepancy.

A screenshot is useful but can be cropped or stripped of context. Pair it with the original chat export, file metadata, URL and payment record. Do not hack the suspect’s account, install unlawful tracking software or impersonate another person to obtain evidence.

How the route changes by transaction type

International transfer to a Turkish IBAN

Contact the sending bank and request a SWIFT recall and fraud notification immediately. A recall is not guaranteed and does not replace the Turkish complaint. The complaint should identify the Turkish beneficiary bank, IBAN, beneficiary name, value date, currency, SWIFT reference and correspondent-bank information. Turkish authorities can request account-opening records and movements through the investigation.

FAST or domestic Turkish transfer

FAST is completed rapidly. The sender cannot reverse a completed payment merely by changing their mind. The sending institution’s fraud notification, Article 128/A suspension where applicable and the prosecutor’s financial-tracing requests must be pursued without delay.

Card payment to a Turkish merchant

Notify the card issuer and file the applicable card dispute or chargeback request. Chargeback is a contractual card-scheme process, not a criminal judgment. An unauthorised card transaction, non-delivery dispute and transfer voluntarily authenticated under deception are legally different. The bank will require transaction-specific documents and apply the relevant scheme timetable. A card dispute does not replace the Turkish criminal complaint.

Crypto transfer to a Turkish service provider

Blockchain transactions generally cannot be reversed. Article 128/A nevertheless expressly includes crypto-asset service providers. Where funds reach an identifiable account with such a provider, the account may fall within the suspension and seizure mechanism. Preserve the transaction hash, blockchain network, wallet addresses, exchange deposit details, account email and any identity-verification communication.

Fake investment platform using several accounts

List each payment separately. Fraud operations often return a small amount at the beginning and then demand larger “tax,” “margin,” “verification” or “withdrawal” payments. The complaint should include the domain, app file, administrator usernames, group links, beneficiary accounts and crypto addresses. Do not calculate the loss by attaching an unsupported balance shown on the fake dashboard; distinguish money actually transferred from fictional profit.

When is a civil claim needed in addition to the criminal case?

Criminal proceedings investigate the offence and provide protective measures. They do not guarantee full financial recovery in every case. A civil claim may be necessary where the proceeds were dissipated, the seized amount is insufficient, ownership is disputed or legally responsible persons caused additional loss.

Depending on the facts, Turkish private-law grounds may include unjust enrichment, tort, breach of contract or specific commercial and consumer obligations. The correct defendant is not selected merely because an IBAN carries that person’s name. The court examines who received an enrichment, who committed or assisted the wrongful act, who breached a duty and whether the conduct caused the claimed loss.

Under the Turkish Code of Obligations, an unjust-enrichment claim is generally subject to two years from learning of the right to restitution and, in all cases, ten years from the enrichment. Tort limitation rules and the extended period linked to criminal limitation operate differently. The legal characterisation and dates must therefore be analysed before filing.

A Turkish court may grant interim attachment only when the statutory conditions under the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Code are met. It is not an automatic substitute for criminal seizure. The applicant must identify the monetary claim, establish the applicable statutory ground at the required provisional level and address security. The competent court, international jurisdiction and any security obligation for a foreign claimant must be assessed from the parties, treaties and transaction.

How can a foreign victim appoint a Turkish lawyer without travelling?

Representation can usually be arranged from abroad. The required form depends on the issuing country, the authority before which the document will be used and applicable international conventions. A power of attorney may need notarisation, an apostille or consular legalisation and a Turkish translation. The exact wording should be confirmed before execution so that the document covers criminal complaints, file review, protective measures, receipt of documents, civil proceedings and enforcement as needed.

A foreign victim should send counsel a secure initial package containing:

• a passport or corporate registration document,
• the payment table and formal receipts,
• the bank’s fraud-report reference,
• the key communications in original language,
• known Turkish account, telephone and platform identifiers, and
• a short timeline stating the victim’s location and time zone.

Turkish counsel can then determine the competent route, prepare the Turkish complaint, request translations in a proportionate order and follow the investigation through UYAP where access is legally available. The victim should receive the investigation number and copies or status information allowed by investigation confidentiality.

Common mistakes that reduce recovery prospects

• Treating forty-eight hours as a complaint deadline or refund promise. It is the maximum Article 128/A institutional suspension period.
• Reporting only to the sending bank. Bank reporting and a Turkish criminal complaint perform different functions.
• Sending screenshots without the formal receipt. The prosecutor needs the financial identifier, beneficiary and exact timestamp.
• Omitting later payments. Every payment, including attempted or returned transactions, helps show the scheme.
• Calling every restriction a “MASAK freeze.” The legal basis determines the authority, duration and remedy.
• Assuming the IBAN holder is automatically the organiser. The holder may be a participant, a money mule, a hacked victim or another third party; evidence decides criminal responsibility.
• Paying a private recovery agent in advance. Fraud victims are frequently targeted again.
• Waiting for a criminal conviction before requesting return. Article 128/A allows return during investigation or prosecution once the statutory ownership condition is established.
• Using a generic power of attorney. Missing authority clauses can delay file review, return applications or civil enforcement.

Frequently asked questions about online fraud recovery in Turkey

Can a foreign national file a fraud complaint in Turkey?

Yes. Nationality does not prevent a victim from reporting an offence connected with Turkey. A complaint may be filed personally or through Turkish counsel. Article 158 also provides a route through Turkish embassies and consulates for offences committed abroad that must be prosecuted in Turkey.

Does the victim have only forty-eight hours to complain?

No. Forty-eight hours is the maximum institutional suspension period under Article 128/A, not a complaint limitation period. Immediate action remains important because the funds may be moved.

Can a Turkish bank refund an international transfer on request?

A completed transfer is not automatically reversed by the sender’s unilateral request. The sending bank should issue a fraud notification and recall request, while Turkish criminal-procedure measures and any civil remedy are pursued separately.

Can the bank suspend the recipient account without a court order?

For the offences specifically listed in Article 128/A and where reasonable suspicion exists, the relevant bank, payment provider or crypto-asset service provider may suspend the account for up to forty-eight hours and must report the action to the prosecutor.

Who can seize the funds?

A judge may order seizure. In an urgent Article 128/A case, the prosecutor may issue a written seizure order, which must be submitted for judicial approval within twenty-four hours. The judge must announce the decision within forty-eight hours from seizure.

Can seized money be returned before the criminal trial ends?

Yes. Article 128/A(5) allows the seized criminal proceeds to be returned during investigation or prosecution when they are established to belong to the victim.

What if the money has moved to another Turkish bank?

Article 128/A requires the first institution to notify the receiving financial institution without delay when the proceeds were transferred before suspension. The complaint should list all known accounts and references.

Does a crypto transfer make recovery impossible?

No automatic reversal exists on the blockchain, but Article 128/A covers crypto-asset service providers. Recovery depends on tracing the transaction to identifiable assets or an account that can be subjected to Turkish measures.

Must all evidence be translated into Turkish immediately?

The complaint and decisive documents should be usable by the Turkish authority. Preserve every original. Translation priorities and certification requirements should be determined from the file rather than translating irrelevant material first.

Must the victim travel to Turkey?

Not necessarily. A Turkish lawyer can act under a properly issued power of attorney. Document form, apostille or legalisation and translation requirements depend on the issuing country and intended proceedings.

Is a criminal complaint enough to obtain all compensation?

Not in every case. Criminal return is strongest where identifiable proceeds are traced and seized. A civil claim may be needed for dissipated funds, additional loss or disputed liability.

Can the account holder’s claim of being a victim defeat recovery?

No automatic result follows. Turkish authorities examine account control, benefit, communications, transfer behaviour and possible account compromise. Criminal responsibility and ownership of the proceeds are separate questions.

Related Turkish-law resources

• Criminal Law in Turkey articles
• Debt Collection in Turkey
• Contact a Turkish lawyer

Official sources

• Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Justice – current text of the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code (Turkish)
• Official Gazette of the Republic of Türkiye
• Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) – Law No. 5549
• UYAP Citizen Portal

This publication provides general information on Turkish law. The transaction type, financial route, competent authority, international jurisdiction, document formalities and limitation periods must be assessed from the specific evidence.