Crypto Fraud in Kyrenia: Real Estate Agent Scammed with False Promises

Despite not having a crypto account, Can allegedly deceived a real estate agent by promising to convert cryptocurrency into cash. Over a period between June 23 and August 12, 2024, Can convinced the agent to transfer a total of 846,200 TL, 12,400 GBP, 500 USD, and 1,200 EUR to his account, under the false pretense that he would use the money to purchase a property once his supposed 4 million USD in crypto was liquidated.

Police investigations revealed that Can had been portraying himself as a wealthy individual with millions in bitcoin and had shown the agent a fake bitcoin account on his phone to gain their trust. Following a complaint filed on August 15, Can was arrested on August 16 in Boğazköy, with two mobile phones seized as evidence.

During the investigation, police found that Can's actual cryptocurrency account held only 0.78 USD, equivalent to 26.73 TL. The court, led by Senior Judge Hazal Hacımulla, granted an additional 8-day detention for Can to allow further investigation, including the examination of bank statements and gathering of additional witness testimonies.