Don’t Forget: Letting Others Use Your Bank Account Can Have Legal Consequences!

Dear Student,

Recently, there has been a significant increase in incidents involving the use of university students’ bank accounts and digital wallets by third parties for purposes such as fraud, illegal betting, and the laundering of proceeds from drug trafficking.

Knowingly and willingly allowing your bank accounts or digital wallets registered in your name to be used by others for reasons such as “earning a commission,” “helping with a debt payment,” “using it just once,” “harmless money transfer,” or similar purposes may result in criminal and civil liability under the Turkish Penal Code and relevant legislation. As the account holder, you may be held responsible for transactions carried out through your accounts, regardless of who actually conducted the transactions.

If you allow others to use your accounts, you may face judicial investigations and prosecutions, the creation of a criminal record, being classified as a high-risk customer by banks, restrictions on your bank accounts, rejection of loan and credit card applications, judicial control measures (including a travel ban), and compensation claims filed by victims. In such cases, statements such as “I didn’t know,” “I was just trying to help,” or “I was only an intermediary” may not provide legal protection.

It is important that you reject any offers from people you know or do not know that promise financial gain in exchange for sharing your account or IBAN details, and that you immediately report any suspicious situations to the relevant security authorities.