Papara victims are waiting for a solution! Shopkeepers who bought POS devices are in trouble

Papara, which was appointed as a trustee, has victimized millions. Tradesmen who bought POS devices saying they were commission-free cannot use them. Account holders are also stuck with limits on money transfers.

KAAN ZENGİNLİ - After the trustee was appointed to the digital payment platform Papara within the scope of the illegal betting investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the accounts of thousands of tradesmen, taxi drivers and citizens were affected. Hundreds of thousands of POS devices and credit cards were sold to the market without commission and without requesting a monthly fixed fee. Similarly, the free card services offered by Papara to young people and students had become a favorite of students. However, the company, which was seized for the crime of facilitating illegal betting, victimized both tradesmen and citizens.

Mehmet Yılmaz, who has been a taxi driver in Istanbul for 15 years, said, “Speed ​​and practicality are very important in our business. People no longer carry cash with them. Especially foreign tourists or young customers want to pay by card. I started using the Papara POS device. There was no commission, no device fee. Now the device is disabled, I cannot do any transactions. We have to tell the customer, ‘I can’t take it if I don’t have cash.’ This means either losing customers or arguing.”

Nazlı Kehribar, who runs a small café in Bahçeşehir, stated that most of her customers pay with Papara cards or the in-app QR code. Kehribar stated that she has been using this POS device for a while and said, “We have a significant amount of receivables inside, but we don’t know when and how we will be able to collect them. On top of that, rent and supply payments have also arrived. I don’t know how we will turn our business around like this. If I had known that the company was involved in this kind of business, I wouldn’t have used it from the beginning.”

University student Elif Kaya expressed her grievances as follows: I have been using Papara Edu Card for about two years. It was providing great convenience especially for university students. Now my card is not working. I will be in a difficult situation until I get a bank card. Many of my friends are in the same situation.

Within the scope of the investigation launched by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office, the Saving Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) was appointed as a trustee to Papara Elektronik Para AŞ. It was reported that during this process, temporary daily limits will be applied to payment transactions at the institution and the details will be announced by the company. It was also emphasized that, in accordance with Article 22 of Law No. 6493, the funds of payment service users are secured in protection accounts at banks.