Fraudsters from fake hotel websites arrested
Burak CoÅan – MUÄLA
Scam criminal ring made $ 90,000 collecting money on bogus hotel websites, revealed after police operation in which 11 suspects were arrested in the province tourist attraction of MuÄla, in the southwest.
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âTourist establishments have been threatened by cyber gangs in recent years. We reported the situation to the MuÄla Provincial Police Headquarters. The operation took almost a year, âsaid Tunç Batum, vice-president of the South Aegean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association.
âAt the end of the operation, 11 people were brought to justice. Two of them were arrested. Another gang member is wanted in the Netherlands, âhe added.
The websites of more than 10 hotels in MuÄla have been duplicated by gang members, who have received online payments of nearly 500,000 Turkish Lira ($ 90,000) from vacationers, according to Batum.
The hotel of which Batum is the general manager, the Hilton Dalaman Sarıgerme, was involved in the case.
âMost of the defrauded will be able to get their money back because the gang’s accounts have been frozen,â Batum said.
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âFake websites show up at the top of search pages due to advertisements. We have warned the search engine administrators on several occasions, but it cannot be said that they have taken the necessary action, âhe said.
Computer expert and lawyer Mehmet Ali Köksal warned vacationers to carefully check hotels’ exact domain names before making payments.
“This method [of defraud] is called phishing, âhe said, adding that customers should not hesitate to phone hotels if they are suspicious.