Fraud cases in the Turkish tourism market are on the rise as dozens of fake websites have appeared online.
"Ten websites were created in the name of hotels in Bodrum. The fraudsters deliberately choose hotels that cost two to three thousand Turkish liras (about $500) per night," said Recay Cakir, deputy chairman of the Tourism Investors Association of Turkey.
Cakir also fell victim to a phishing case when attackers copied the website of his Sianji hotel. in BodrumThe scam was discovered after a holidaymaker called the Sianji Hotel to book an airport transfer and found out he had been scammed because the hotel could not find his booking. The marketing manager checked the phone number on the fake website and found it was registered to a foreign phone line. The hotel owner decided to take the case to court immediately.
"The case will be completed any day now. The fake website will most likely be closed. We will get rid of this service, but they can continue the fraud by creating other virtual platforms. It is scary to imagine that a hundred brands and websites with the name "Sianji" may appear. The most unpleasant thing is that in many cases, the fake websites appear at the top of Google search results," said Rekay Cakir.
Fraudsters have created fake websites using the names of real hotels, including Hilton Bodrum, Altın Yunus Hotel Çeşme, Hillside Beach Club Fethiye, Sheraton Hotel Çeşme and Antalya's Adam & Eve Hotel, Club Marco Polo and Hotel Regnum Carya. Customers are advised to double-check the authenticity of hotel websites when booking a holiday. If payment is made using 3-D Secure technology, the money is immediately deposited into the recipient's account, making it nearly impossible to get it back.
