Story By: Sibel Abdiu, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsiaWire

This is the moment an Iranian businessman loses 40,000 USD after being conned in an elaborate scam that left him distracted while the money was snatched.

The businessman, Bahmen Huseyin Alizadeh, 37, had parked his car in order to go into the bank in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. He had then collected 40,000 USD (31,934 GBP) and returned to his car, putting the money on the seat.

As he was pulling out of the car park however, CCTV footage shows a man running up behind him and scattering cash on the floor, before banging on the businessman’s car. He then tells him that he has dropped something, and when the baffled businessman goes to pick up the cash, a second man goes up to the car and steals the bag containing the 40,000 USD.

Pictures Credit: AsiaWire

When he has picked up the cash, the businessman then looks round to thank the helpful man who has vanished, and it is only then that he apparently realises that his bag has been stolen. 

Police were called to investigate and quickly discovered the CCTV which revealed how the con had taken place. 

The businessman said: “I have been doing business in Turkey for a long time. I was sent the money from Iran and I drove to a car park in order to collect it, and then I went to an exchange office in the Grand Bazaar. The money had been sent from Iran and I collected it, and as I was driving out of the car park somebody came and knocked on the window and told me I had dropped some money. When I checked I saw a lot of notes lying on the ground, and while I was collecting them they stole the money in my car.” 

He said he did not know if the money left on the ground was real or not, but it was reportedly confiscated by the police. He said it was around 300 TRY (41 GBP) in 5-10 TRY banknotes.

The police are investigating and have not reportedly made any arrests yet. It is unclear who the man in the green T-shirt is.

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