Turkish prosecutors probe 825 suspects over illegal use of accident victims' data

Turkish prosecutors have opened a probe into 825 people suspected of illegally acquiring personal information of traffic-accident victims and using it to solicit legal services, a scheme officials estimate yielded TL 15.6 billion. Raids conducted by the Istanbul provincial gendarmerie targeted six law offices and 20 companies in Istanbul, Ankara, Sakarya and Gaziantep, as part of an inquiry led by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Investigators say the data of roughly 253,000 victims was passed to law firms and claims-consultancy firms, which then repeatedly contacted the victims and induced them to sign powers of attorney. Financial investigations by MASAK and SEDDK uncovered irregular payments to police officers, insurance arbitrators, adjusters, mechanics and other service-center employees. The probe follows a recent crackdown on lawyers using illegal data-query systems, and comes after the Personal Data Protection Board warned of penalties for unauthorized access to accident records.