‘Moroccan people keep calling me after TV series showed my mobile number’

Özge Eğrikar - ISTANBUL

A man from the Black Sea province of Ordu has opened a lawsuit against the producer of a TV series, which was aired in Morocco, after his cell phone number was flashed in a scene that led to a chain of calls and inappropriate messages by the Moroccan viewers of the show.

"They think I am the character of the TV series and keep sending me messages and improper photos day and night," said the man, identified only as Erol D.

The man has asked 15,000 Turkish Liras ($1,900) from the producer as compensation in damages for "the emotional distress he has been through."

According to the complaint, in one of the episodes of the TV series Yemin, which means "The Promise" in Turkish, a female character, Cemre, makes a call to a number that is flashed on the screen, which coincidently belonged to Erol D in real life.

Soon after the episode aired, a fan of the TV series in Morocco took a screenshot of the scene and posted the number on social media accounts that led to the troubles in Erol D’s life.

In a short time, the screenshot went viral on social media, and people started calling up on the number mentioned in the screenshot, thinking that it might actually belong to the character as seen in the episode.

"I did not know anything about the TV series. After the messages and the improper photos that bombarded my phone, there came problems between my wife and me," said Erol D.

The lawyer of Erol D has listed the problems that Erol D has been facing due to constant messages and calls in the lawsuit file.

"People have been calling from Morocco at odd hours and disturbing him. He has lost all his peace at home."

It has become difficult for Erol D to use his phone because of the indecent messages and calls, stated in the file.

Saying that "it is illegal to publish someone’s phone number in an international broadcast without the person’s will," the lawyer has asked compensation from the producer of the TV series.

"The Promise" is an ongoing TV series that has been on air in Turkey since February 2019. In its third season, the series has become popular worldwide.

The series is about a wealthy family who wants their spoiled son Emir to marry a responsible woman. Two women, Cemre and Reyhan, who are in love with Emir, get into a tussle to marry the wealthy heir around who the story is centered.