The 71-year-old resident received a phone call around 3:00 PM from a so-called bank employee that her bank card would be picked up later that afternoon. Instead of waiting for the arrival of this employee, she immediately called the police.
At the time the bank employee was supposed to arrive, the alerted officers monitored the house. When someone came to the house to pick up an envelope containing the cards, this man could be arrested immediately. Officers also arrested two other men who were in the car that the man had arrived in. They are two residents from The Hague aged 17 and 21, and a 20-year-old man from Leeuwarden. All three are suspected of bank helpdesk fraud.
What is bank helpdesk fraud?
In bank card helpdesk fraud, fraudsters call people at home pretending to be bank employees. Then someone from the bank supposedly comes to pick up the PIN card urgently at their home, and the PIN is extracted. Money is quickly withdrawn with the card. In other cases, they ask to install software on their computer so that the fraudsters can monitor the computer remotely and/or perform actions. Then, for example, they ask to secure the entire bank balance with one or more transfers to a so-called safe account. That account, of course, belongs to the fraudster.
What to watch out for?
Remember that a bank will never ask about the balance of a bank account, even as a control question. A bank will also never ask to transfer money to another account, safe account, or secure account. Such accounts do not exist. A bank will never ask to install antivirus or other software. Know that a bank will never pressure its customers to act as quickly as possible. If a supervisor is on the line or you are called back by a so-called colleague, be aware that this is also a fraudster who is in on the plot because usually the caller does not work alone.
What should I do if I am a victim?
If something like this happens to you? Call 112 immediately. This way, the police can take action right away. In this case, it led to the three arrests. Have you already become a victim? Always file a report! There is nothing to be ashamed of. The fraudsters are becoming increasingly clever, and they overwhelm their victims in a smart and cunning way. It is very important for the police that a report is made. This gives us a good view of where the frauds are occurring. And we can investigate whether there is a connection between the different reports.