How to Spot a Fake Turkish Supplier: 10 Red Flags Before You Pay

Most payment fraud involving Türkiye does not start with a fake factory. It starts with a real company name, a convincing email and a bank account that belongs to someone else. Buyers who lose money to a fake Turkish supplier have often done some homework: they looked the company up and found a genuine name, tax number and address. What they did not check was whether the person they were dealing with, the documents in front of them and the bank account on the proforma all belonged to that same company.

This checklist sets out ten supplier fraud red flags in Turkey that we look for before a buyer pays. For each one we explain what it looks like, why it matters and how you can check it yourself. If you are asking “is this Turkish company legit?”, work through all ten. One red flag is a reason to pause; two or more are a reason to stop paying until you have clear answers.

For the wider picture of how payment fraud works and what happens afterwards, read our guide to payment fraud when buying from Türkiye. For the step-by-step verification process, see how to verify a Turkish supplier before you pay.

The 10 red flags at a glance1. The bank account holder’s name is not the company’s legal name.

2. The account is personal, or held in another country.

3. An email arrives mid-deal changing the bank details.

4. The emails come from a lookalike domain or a free email account.

5. The company is real, but your contact is not authorised to act for it.

6. The documents do not match the trade registry.

7. A trading company presents itself as the factory.

8. The price is far below market and the deposit is urgent.

9. The supplier refuses a video call, a visit or independent verification.

10. The website is brand new or cloned, with stock photos and trade-fair claims that cannot be verified.

Red flag 1: the name on the bank account is a different companyThe quotation comes from one company, but the proforma invoice asks you to pay an account held by another. An explanation is usually ready: a sister company, a group finance arm, an export partner or an account used “for tax reasons”.

A Turkish company should be paid into an account held in its own legal name. Once money reaches a different legal entity, you have no contract with the account holder and very little leverage if the goods never arrive. A plausible story does not change that. Our sample report shows an invented case of exactly this pattern: a genuine, active manufacturer whose proforma named a different company as the account holder.

How to check the account holder* Compare the beneficiary name on the proforma, character by character, with the legal name (unvan) in the registry.

* Ask your bank whether it can confirm the beneficiary name before the transfer is released.

* If the supplier insists on a related company, ask for a written explanation on letterhead, signed by an authorised signatory, and confirm it by phone on a number you found independently.

Red flag 2: a personal account, or an account abroadYou are asked to pay an individual rather than the company, or an account in a third country even though the supplier is registered in Türkiye. Turkish IBANs have 26 characters and begin with TR, so an IBAN with another country code for a Turkish supplier needs a convincing explanation.

There is one legitimate nuance. A sole proprietorship (şahıs şirketi) is owned by one person, so an account in the owner’s name can be correct. The test is whether the account holder is the registered owner. For a limited company (Ltd. Şti.) or a joint-stock company (A.Ş.), trade payments into a personal account, even the manager’s, are not normal practice.

How to check a personal or overseas account* Identify the company type from its legal name and registry record. Only a şahıs şirketi should ordinarily be paid in an individual’s name.

* For a sole proprietorship, confirm that the account holder is the registered owner, whose 11-digit national identity number also serves as the tax number.

* Treat an account outside Türkiye as unverified until the supplier explains the reason in writing and that explanation checks out.

Red flag 3: a “new bank details” email halfway through the orderPart-way through an order, a message lands in the existing email thread: the account has changed because of an audit, a new bank or a currency problem. It continues a real conversation, uses the right names and attaches a convincing revised proforma.

This is the hallmark of business email compromise, where a fraudster has gained access to the supplier’s or the buyer’s mailbox, or is imitating it. It is dangerous precisely because you already trust the relationship, and because the change usually arrives just before a large payment is due.

How to confirm a change of bank details* Never confirm a change by replying to the email or by calling a number given in it.

* Call the supplier on a number you found independently, such as one from the registered website you have used before or from official records, and ask a named person you already know to confirm the new details.

* Check that the new account is still held in the company’s legal name. If it is not, red flag 1 or 2 applies as well.

Red flag 4: lookalike domains and free email addressesYour contact writes from a Gmail, Hotmail or Yandex address, or from a domain that differs from the company’s real one by a single letter, a hyphen or a different ending, such as .com instead of .com.tr.

Plenty of small, genuine suppliers use free email, so on its own this is a weak signal. It becomes serious when the company has its own domain but your contact does not use it, or when a domain looks almost right. Lookalike domains are cheap to register and easy to miss on a phone screen.

How to check the email domain* Read the sender’s full address, not just the display name, and compare it with the domain on the company’s website.

* Look up when the domain was registered. One created a few weeks before your first contact deserves close scrutiny.

* Ring the company on an independently found number and ask which email addresses its staff use.

Red flag 5: a real company, but someone else at the keyboardEverything about the company checks out: the name, tax number, address and history are genuine. But the person negotiating with you does not work there, or works there without the authority to sign contracts or change payment terms. In its most damaging form, a borrowed identity, someone uses a real company’s details, catalogue and factory photographs to win the order, then invoices it from a different firm.

This is easy to miss because your registry search comes back clean. A clean company record proves that the company exists. It says nothing about whether your contact can act for it.

How to check the representative’s authority* Ask for the signature circular (imza sirküleri), which shows who may sign for the company, alone or jointly, and within what limits.

* If your contact is not on it, ask for a notarised power of attorney (vekaletname) and check that it covers what they are doing.

* Call the company on an independently found number and ask whether the person works there and may act for the company.

* Make sure the contracting entity, the invoice issuer and the bank account holder are one and the same legal entity.

Red flag 6: paperwork that disagrees with the registryThe legal name on the proforma is missing a word, the tax office differs from the one on the quotation, the MERSİS number belongs to another company, or the address is in a different city from the registered one. Certificates cannot be traced to an issuer, or PDFs show signs of editing.

Fraudsters often copy real registry details and change one element, usually the one that matters to them. Small inconsistencies are therefore not clerical trivia; they are often the only visible trace of a borrowed or altered identity.

How to check documents against official records* Confirm that the legal name (unvan), 10-digit tax number (VKN), tax office, 16-digit MERSİS number and address are identical on the quotation, proforma, contract and invoice.

* Ask for the tax registration certificate (vergi levhası) and check it through the Turkish Revenue Administration’s verification service.

* Search the Trade Registry Gazette (Ticaret Sicil Gazetesi) for the company’s incorporation notice and any changes of managers, partners or address, especially shortly before your order.

Our glossary explains each of these Turkish terms and why it matters to a buyer.

Red flag 7: a trader dressed up as a manufacturerThe supplier calls itself a factory, shares production photos and talks about “our machines”, yet cannot show you the production floor. Its registered address is a city-centre office, and its registered activity is wholesale trade.

Trading companies are a legitimate and often useful part of Turkish supply chains. The problem is misrepresentation. If you believe you are buying direct, you may be paying a hidden margin, with no control over the actual producer and no recourse on quality. And a supplier that misleads you about what it is may be misleading you about other things too.

How to check whether it is really a factory* Check the registered activity in the chamber of commerce or industry record; a company that claims to manufacture should normally have a matching production activity.

* Ask whether the company holds a capacity report (kapasite raporu) from a chamber of industry, and compare the address on it with the registry.

* If a trader is involved, ask for written authorisation from the manufacturer and confirm it with the manufacturer directly.

Red flag 8: a bargain price with a deadline attachedThe price is well below what other suppliers quote, and it comes with pressure: stock is limited, the price expires today, or the production slot will be lost without an immediate deposit. Sometimes full payment in advance is demanded for a first order.

Urgency exists to stop you checking. An established manufacturer rarely needs a new buyer to pay in full within hours, and a price far below market usually means a different product from the one you expect, or no product at all. Partial advance payments are common; full prepayment on a first order is a reason to ask questions.

How to respond to price and deposit pressure* Compare the quotation with at least two other suppliers for the same specification.

* Refuse deadlines that leave no time for verification. A genuine supplier will wait a day or two.

* Propose protective terms: a small first order, a letter of credit, or a balance paid against shipping documents or an independent pre-shipment inspection.

Red flag 9: no video call, no visit, no independent checksThe supplier is happy to chat on messaging apps but always has a reason to avoid a live video call from the premises. A factory visit is never convenient. When you mention an inspection company or an independent check, the tone changes, or the price suddenly improves if you pay now.

A genuine supplier has every reason to show you its operation, because it wants your repeat business. Resistance to verification is information in itself, and it is one of the clearest signs of a Turkish supplier scam.

How to test a supplier’s openness* Ask for a live video call that shows the premises, the signage and the production area, and compare what you see with the registered address.

* Tell the supplier that you verify every new supplier before payment, and note the reaction.

* For a large order, arrange an on-site visit or a third-party inspection before the balance is paid.

Red flag 10: a website or trade-fair story that does not hold upThe website was registered recently, uses stock photographs or images lifted from other companies’ sites, and lists only a mobile number and a free email address. Sometimes it is a near-perfect copy of a real manufacturer’s site on a slightly different domain. The supplier may also claim to have exhibited at a well-known Turkish trade fair, sharing stand photos that cannot be tied to the company.

Cloned sites borrow a real company’s credibility, and fake exhibitor claims borrow an event’s. Neither costs the fraudster much, and both are persuasive in a first conversation.

How to check the website and fair claims* Run a reverse image search on factory and product photos to see whether they appear elsewhere.

* Compare the website’s address, phone number and company name with the registry. A clone often keeps the real address but changes the contact details.

* Look for the company’s exact legal or trading name in the exhibitor list on the trade-fair organiser’s official website.

Already paid a suspicious supplier? First stepsSpeed matters more than anything else. In brief:

* Contact your bank immediately and ask it to recall or stop the payment.

* Keep everything: emails with their full headers, invoices, chat messages, phone numbers and payment confirmations.

* Take legal advice, including from a Turkish lawyer on the options for a criminal complaint or a civil claim.

* Be wary of anyone who offers to recover your money for an upfront fee; that is often a second fraud.

Our payment fraud guide covers these steps in more detail, including reporting the fraud and contacting the genuine supplier.

Summary: your red-flag checklist before paying* Pay only into an account held in the supplier’s exact legal name or, for a şahıs şirketi, the registered owner’s name.

* Treat any change of bank details as unverified until it is confirmed on an independently found number.

* Check the sender’s full email domain, not just the display name.

* Confirm the representative’s authority with the imza sirküleri or a vekaletname.

* Match the unvan, VKN, MERSİS number, tax office and address across every document and the registry.

* Establish whether you are dealing with the manufacturer or a trader, and verify the answer.

* Treat urgency and below-market prices as reasons to slow down.

* Expect a genuine supplier to welcome a video call and independent verification.

When an independent check makes senseYou can run most of these checks yourself, and you should. But reading Turkish registry records, interpreting a signature circular and matching an account holder to a legal entity take time and familiarity, and the supplier’s deadline is often working against you.

EnterTurkey Lite confirms the company’s identity and registration status, checks whether your contact is authorised to represent it, and checks whether the bank account holder’s name matches the company. It is delivered within 24 hours (one working day) for $199.

Pro, at $499 and delivered within 48 hours (two working days), adds official-source research and an exterior check of the registered address. For larger orders, Enterprise starts from $1,500 and includes an on-site visit. For Lite and Pro, we do not tell the supplier who requested the review. You can see how findings are presented in our sample report before you order.

Frequently asked questionsHow can I tell if a Turkish company is legit?Start with the registry: confirm the legal name, tax number, MERSİS number and address, and check the Trade Registry Gazette history. Then confirm that the person you deal with is authorised to act for the company, and that the bank account is held in the company’s legal name. A genuine company record alone is not enough, because fraudsters often borrow real companies’ details.

Is it normal for a Turkish supplier to ask for payment into a personal account?Only for a sole proprietorship (şahıs şirketi), where the business belongs to one person and an account in the owner’s name can be correct. Even then, the account holder should be the registered owner. For a Ltd. Şti. or an A.Ş., payment should go to an account in the company’s legal name.

What is an imza sirküleri and why should I ask for it?It is a signature circular, usually notarised, showing who may sign for a Turkish company and within what limits. It tells you whether your contact can commit the company to a contract or to payment terms. If they are not listed, ask for a power of attorney (vekaletname) and check what it covers.

My Turkish supplier has emailed new bank details. What should I do?Do not pay, and do not reply to that email to confirm. Call the supplier on a number you found independently and ask a person you already know to confirm the change. Then check that the new account is still held in the company’s legal name.

Are Turkish trading companies a red flag?No. Many trading companies are legitimate and add real value. The red flag is a trader that presents itself as the factory. Ask directly, check the registered activity, and if a trader claims to represent a manufacturer, confirm the authorisation with the manufacturer itself.

How quickly can EnterTurkey check a Turkish supplier?A Lite review, covering company identity, registration status, the representative’s authority and the bank account holder’s name, is delivered within 24 hours (one working day) for $199. Pro takes 48 hours (two working days) for $499 and adds official-source research and an exterior address check. Enterprise, from $1,500, includes an on-site visit.