By Tim Binnall
Authorities in Turkey arrested over two dozen individuals who were allegedly part of a complex criminal enterprise centered around fake treasure maps that led to equally phony riches. The admittedly clever scheme reportedly involved group members visiting small communities throughout the province of Tunceli with a rather tantalizing offer. Wielding artificially-weathered paper maps purportedly pointing to buried treasure, the con artists convinced several unwitting individuals to purchase the realistic-looking directions. However, this was merely the first part of a rather dastardly double-dip orchestrated by the group.
Anticipating that those who purchased the fake maps would search for the promised treasure, they buried largely worthless figurines and other 'relics' at the spots where the riches were said to be hidden. Uncertain how to cash in on the newly discovered 'artifacts,' the victims understandably consulted with the scammers who sold them the phony directions. They were subsequently put in contact with a man said to be a priest, though later revealed to be merely another miscreant from the group. The faux holy man claimed that the 'priceless relics' could not be sold in Turkey, but 'luckily' he had the connections to sell the pieces abroad, for a price, of course.
To broker the international deals, the 'priest' demanded a sizeable sum that was readily provided by the victims who believed that the situation was on the level because the treasure maps had seemingly proven to be authentic. All told, the gang netted a staggering $1.3 million from the two-stage scheme until the proverbial house of cards came tumbling down after police caught wind of the operation from individuals who eventually realized that they had been scammed. In an expansive operation that spanned nine Turkish provinces, authorities arrested 25 people believed to have been participants in the complex treasure hoax that proved to be a wildly successful ruse.