Academics defrauded with fake scientific publication offer

VAN

Some 50 internet users, most of them academics, were robbed of a total of one million liras ($127,500) in a fraud pretending to be a scientific journal online by copying source codes of legitimate publications in Turkey’s eastern province of Van.

In a joint operation carried out by police teams, four Iranian nationals, identified only by their initials, alleged to lead the illegal network were detained, facing charges of fraud through phishing, a technique used to duplicate scientific publications’ content online.

While victims of the fraud were determined to reside both in Turkey and abroad, the crime ring were revealed to have offered academics publications.

Counterfeit stamps on behalf of various country consulates and consular staff were seized, as well as $3,350 during the searches made at the residences and workplaces of the detained suspects.

The suspects, who were taken into custody, were referred to a court after their interrogation at the Department of Anti-Cyber Crimes.