Operation in 8 provinces targets firms accused of scalping visa appointments with bots

Detention orders were issued for 60 suspects in a second wave of operations across 8 Istanbul-centered provinces targeting firms accused of grabbing visa appointments with bots and selling them on the black market.

An operation was carried out in 8 Istanbul-centered provinces against firms accused of seizing visa appointments with bot software and selling them on the black market, as part of an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Organized Crime Investigation Bureau. Detention orders were issued for 60 suspects.

Coordinated by the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command, the operation in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Antalya, Balıkesir, Denizli and Kocaeli targeted visa firms as well as individuals found to have provided them with software support.

Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan

The suspects allegedly used bots to access the appointment systems of consulates and intermediary agencies and charged an extra fee of around 300 to 400 euros per transaction. A preliminary financial review put collections linked to visa and consultancy services at about 370 million liras. Prosecutors are working to identify transactions within this sum where services were not provided, were incomplete or were not refunded.

Sample Schengen visa sticker

The suspects face charges of qualified fraud, unlawfully obtaining personal data, cybercrimes and laundering proceeds of crime.

In the first wave of the investigation on Aug. 11, operations were conducted at 63 addresses in 6 provinces, and 37 of the 41 suspects detained were arrested. The Advertising Board under the Trade Ministry had also launched an inquiry into 7 firms providing visa consultancy services.

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