Findings of the “Fraud Perception in the Turkish Business Community 2026” Study Released

The findings of the “Fraud Perception in the Turkish Business Community 2026 Study,” a joint initiative by Cerebra and the Ethics and Reputation Society (TEİD), were presented to business leaders and professionals at a launch event held in Istanbul on 7 October 2026.

Initiated by Cerebra in collaboration with TEİD and conducted by FutureBright Group, the Fraud Perception in the Turkish Business Community 2026 Study aims to explore how fraud risks are perceived in Türkiye and how prepared organizations are to address these risks. Bringing together the views and experiences of 1,066 professionals from different industries and organizational levels, the study examines critical issues including economic pressures, digitalization, ethical leadership, internal controls, and whistleblowing practices.

The launch event, held at Fairmont Quasar Istanbul on 7 October 2026, provided an opportunity to discuss the study’s key findings, their implications for organizations, and practical steps businesses can take to manage fraud risks more effectively.

Fikret Sebilcioğlu Presents the Study’s Findings

The event opened with remarks by Aslı Ertekin, Vice Chair of TEİD and Ethics & Compliance Director at bp.

Following the opening remarks, Fikret Sebilcioğlu, Founder and CEO of Cerebra and Board Member of TEİD, presented the study’s findings to participants.

Sebilcioğlu explained that the study reflects Cerebra’s longstanding focus and experience in fraud prevention and investigations. He emphasized its importance in developing a deeper understanding of fraud risks specific to Türkiye and identifying differences in perceptions and experiences across organizational levels.

He also expressed the hope that the research would encourage more open discussions about fraud risks within organizations and prompt preventive action before those risks materialize into actual incidents.

From Awareness to Action: Managing Fraud Risks

Following the research presentation, the panel titled “From Awareness to Action: Managing Fraud Risks” explored how the study’s findings could be translated into organizational risk management and human resources practices.

The panel featured Eylem Derya Özgür, Chair of PERYÖN (Turkish People Management Association) and Head of HR for Türkiye and Central Asia at pladis Global, and Uluhan Kumru, Group Internal Audit Director at Anadolu Efes and Board Member of TEİD. The discussion was moderated by Aslı Ertekin, Ethics & Compliance Director at bp and Vice Chair of TEİD.

The panel highlighted the importance of strengthening fraud risk awareness, enhancing internal control and oversight mechanisms, and embedding ethical values into everyday business practices.

FutureBright Group’s Perspective on the Research Findings

The event continued with a keynote address by Akan Abdula, Founder of FutureBright Group, titled “Just This Once Won’t Hurt.”

Approaching fraud risk from a behavioral economics perspective, Abdula explored why employees may compromise ethical boundaries at critical decision-making moments despite being aware of the rules, influenced by pressure, opportunity, and the justifications they create for their actions.

He emphasized that while internal controls help reduce opportunities for fraud, behavioral design can weaken the rationalizations that individuals use to justify misconduct. Both approaches, he noted, should be considered together as part of an effective fraud prevention strategy.

The Test of Ethical Leadership: Fraud and Corporate Trust

The final session of the launch event featured a panel titled “The Test of Ethical Leadership: Fraud and Corporate Trust,” moderated by Fikret Sebilcioğlu.

The panel brought together Ece Elbirlik Ürkmez, Ethics Committee Member at İnci Holding, and Levent Kömür, General Manager of Uludağ İçecek, to discuss the role of ethical leadership in shaping organizational culture and building employee trust.

The discussion emphasized that ethical values should extend beyond written policies and codes of conduct and be reflected in management decisions and employees’ everyday experiences.

Key topics included differences in perceptions of ethical leadership between senior management and middle management, maintaining ethical standards under performance pressure, and strengthening corporate trust.

Turning Fraud Awareness into Concrete Action

A central message of the launch event was that recognizing fraud risks and raising awareness are not sufficient on their own. Awareness must be translated into concrete organizational practices through effective internal controls, trusted whistleblowing mechanisms, and strong ethical leadership.

At Cerebra, through this joint initiative with TEİD, we aim to raise awareness of fraud risks across the Turkish business community and encourage organizations to take more effective action to prevent and manage these risks.

The Fraud Perception in the Turkish Business Community 2026 Study report is available here.

Photos from the launch event are available in the album below.