Phone Theft After Meeting on Dating Apps: Bank Security — Attorney Aylin Esra Eren
This article provides general information. Legislation, time limits and amounts may change over time; obtain an up-to-date assessment of your specific situation.
News interview | Attorney Aylin Esra Eren
According to news based on the Chief Public Prosecutor's statement, in the Ankara-centered investigation, 8 suspects were detained on the allegation that they stole the phones of persons they communicated with through a dating application and transferred money from their bank accounts.
Attorney Aylin Esra Eren explains the digital and financial risks after a phone is taken, security measures and the remedies available to victims.
How should the allegation of transferring money from bank accounts after the theft of phones be evaluated legally in this incident?
Here, it is possible for different legal actions and crime types to come to the agenda. It would not be correct to make a definitive legal characterization without examining all the evidence of the concrete case.
However, transferring the money in a person's account to other accounts by accessing banking applications, passwords, verification codes, or other financial data after the seizure of a person's mobile phone should not be evaluated solely as a theft of a phone in the classical sense.
Depending on how the act was carried out, separate evaluations may need to be made in terms of theft, crimes committed by using information systems as tools, abuse of bank or credit cards, and fraud.
The decisive issues are the method used by the suspects and how the victim’s ability to make or authorize the transactions was bypassed.
Is there a special meaning in the use of dating applications in such incidents?
The most striking element in such incidents is the exploitation of the trust relationship rather than the technology itself.
People can start getting to know the person they communicate with on dating applications in real life within a short time. Behaviors such as leaving the phone on the table during a meeting, seeing the password, or giving the device to the other party for a short time can be perceived as normal social interaction.
However, the phone may contain banking applications, saved cards, email accounts, identity information, photos, and personal correspondence.
Therefore, the fact that a person has been newly met should not mean that security measures are eliminated.
Which security measures should citizens take in particular?
First of all, the phone's screen lock must be strong and, if possible, supported by biometric verification.
Additional security measures must be used in banking applications; one-time verification codes must strictly not be shared with third parties.
Extreme caution must be exercised, especially if a newly met person wants to inspect your phone, requests to use your phone, or asks for any information regarding a banking application.
Even giving the phone to another person for a short time can lead to serious security consequences in some cases.
What should a person whose phone is stolen or lost do first?
Time is very important here.
The person, as soon as possible:
- should contact their banks to secure their accounts and cards,
- should have their mobile banking access checked,
- should contact their GSM operator to ensure the security of their line,
- should use the relevant technological security features to remotely lock or locate the device,
- should change the passwords of their email and critical accounts,
- should immediately report suspicious money transfers to the bank,
- And should file a criminal complaint regarding the incident by applying to the police or the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
Especially if unauthorized transactions have been made from bank accounts, preserving transaction records and bank movements is important in terms of evidence.
Does liability arise for the victim if money is withdrawn from the account of the person whose phone was stolen?
In this regard, it would not be correct to automatically make a general assessment such as "the victim is liable" or "the victim is not liable in any way".
How the banking transaction was carried out, how the security information was obtained, whether the victim performed any transaction, how the bank's security procedures were applied, and all circumstances of the incident must be examined.
Therefore, it is extremely important for the victim to notify the bank without wasting time and to initiate the legal process.
Could there also be a separate legal process regarding the personal data contained within the phone?
Definitely.
Smartphones now host a very large portion of a person's private life. Photos, messages, contacts, email accounts, location information, financial information, and data related to various applications can be found on the same device.
Therefore, after the seizure of the device, the unlawful acquisition, use, or transfer of personal data to others is a legal dimension that must be evaluated separately.
Especially if images or correspondence regarding the victim's private life are seized, the consequences of the incident may not be limited only to material damage.
What is the most important lesson citizens should draw from this incident?
Regardless of the nature of the relationship established in the digital environment, personal security and emotional trust must be separated from each other.
It is necessary not to allow a newly met person to access your financial information, phone, passwords, or personal documents.
The issue here is not whether to trust dating apps. The issue is that personal and financial security should not be completely eliminated due to any social relationship.
Finally, what would you like to say to citizens?
Today, a mobile phone is not just a device we use to communicate. It is a gateway to our bank accounts, e-mails, social media accounts, personal photos, and numerous private data.
Therefore, the security of the phone has become directly linked to a person's financial and personal security.
It is not about being distant toward newly met people, but rather being conscious regarding personal data, bank information, and digital access.
In the event that a person's phone is stolen or lost, they should not wait with the thought "I'll find the phone anyway." The bank, GSM operator, and relevant security services must be informed immediately; the necessary judicial applications must be made without delay.
Because in the digital world, even a delay of a few minutes in certain crimes can cause the victimization to grow.