Following the major uproar caused by the TikTok gang in Lebanon, which was involved in luring and sexually assaulting children, Turkish authorities are now pursuing a similar gang that specializes in fraud via the "Instagram" app, shocking the citizens of the country. So far, 32 young Turkish men have fallen victim to this network, being forced to pay 1.5 million Turkish Lira, equivalent to nearly 47,000 US dollars.
Details reveal that this gang largely comprises young women who establish romantic relationships through "Instagram" with young men from various regions in Turkey. They record video calls and document conversations with their targets before passing the task on to male gang members who then begin the extortion process. The women's role in the gang ends once they secure sufficient materials, after which the men contact the victims impersonating the girls' relatives and accuse them of exploiting minors to provoke them into paying money, according to the Turkish police.
Dozens of young men have fallen victim to this gang, which also contacted them pretending to be lawyers for the girls' families, threatening to resort to legal action if they did not pay the demanded amounts, often coercing each victim into paying around 2,000 US dollars.
Turkish authorities recently arrested 18 members of the "Instagram gang" and are still searching for 17 others, bringing the total number of gang members to at least 35. The gang operated in four Turkish provinces, including Istanbul, Adana, and Mersin. The police pursued the gang members for three months before apprehending them last Tuesday.
Informed sources told "Al Arabiya.net" that some gang members managed to flee the country after learning about the detention of 18 of their associates. The trial for the detained gang members is set to begin after investigations conclude, with the authorities not disclosing the names of the gang members in an attempt to catch those who have yet to be arrested.
Turkish security has urged citizens to exercise caution when using social media and to avoid similar gangs.
