Turkish authorities on Friday detained 16 people and seized assets worth around 300 million liras ($6.9 million) as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering linked to content on the OnlyFans platform, Reuters reported.
The investigation, led by the Department for Investigating Terrorist Financing and Money Laundering Crimes, targeted 25 suspects and two companies operating in eight provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya, the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office said.
Prosecutors said the suspects made money by posting explicit content on social media and directing users to paid platforms, including OnlyFans and private messaging services such as Telegram.
OnlyFans has been blocked in Turkey since June 7, 2023, after an Istanbul court ruled that the platform hosted content deemed against public morality and family values, Reuters reported.
Despite the ban, the suspects were found to be accessing the platform through virtual private networks (VPNs), prosecutors said.
According to the statement, the suspects laundered the proceeds through property purchases as well as investments in bitcoin and gold.
Authorities tracked down 10 properties, 14 vehicles and two companies linked to the suspects, with total assets worth around 300 million lire.
The prosecutor’s office added that the investigation is still ongoing.
(With inputs from Reuters)