The Mobile Game That Scammed An Entire Nation

What started as a Farmville clone quickly became one of the biggest scams in gaming history.

When Mehmet Aydin created Ciftlik Bank - a farming game where players buy virtual chickens and cows to start their own farm - he did so with the promise that microtransactions from the game would go to supporting farmers in his home country of Turkey.

The game also promised that players would be able to earn interest on their investments, cashing out large sums of money as a reward for playing the game.

With the promise of easy money, people around Turkey started taking out loans to buy into the game. Ciftlik Bank quickly became one of the largest games in the country as money from microtransactions went into opening farms that would subsequently produce dairy, meat, and produce for stores to sell.

But it was all a lie. It was a scheme, siphoning money away from the Turkish people and lining the pockets of Aydin and his compatriots. By the time anyone figured out what was really happening, Aydin had stolen more than $130M and disappeared to South America.

What followed was years on the run, with Aydin’s face plastered on Interpol’s most wanted list. How could a video game cause so much trouble? And what happened to its creator?

Chapters

0:00 The Mobile Game That Scammed An Entire Nation

0:35 What Is Ciftlik Bank

2:46 The Game Goes Viral

5:07 The Scam Unravels

7:10 The International Manhunt

9:03 The Aftermath