First public hearing in Groningen in multi-million fraud case; two suspects detained for 90 days longer

News report | 09-12-2025 | 17:01

The Cybercrime Team of the police in Northern Netherlands has arrested six additional persons suspected of involvement in large-scale crypto helpdesk fraud and bank helpdesk fraud. One of them was arrested in mid-November and is still in custody. The other suspects have been released but remain suspects in this investigation.

Main suspects
The two main suspects were arrested on September 16, 2025, in a building on the Zuidas in Amsterdam. Initially, this was due to possession of large quantities of nitrous oxide. Subsequently, the police and OM decided to take action in a longer-running Northern Netherlands cybercrime investigation.

This case shows that filing a report pays off. Although a case following a report is not always immediately solved, the registration in police systems ensures that your report can be solved months later after developments in an ongoing investigation.

Dozens of data carriers
During the search at the two main suspects and a co-suspect, expensive branded clothing, expensive branded shoes, two valuable branded watches, ten counterfeit branded watches, a motorcycle, and various crypto ledgers were found and seized. Ledgers are storage locations for cryptocurrencies often used as a piggy bank.

Extensive research has since been conducted on the dozens of seized data carriers. This has led to the seizure of over 20ac800,000 in cryptocurrencies. The police are still searching for the remaining stolen funds.

Dozens of victims
Since early 2021, according to the OM, many dozens of Dutch people have fallen victim to the investigated group. The suspects pretended in conversations to be employees of the Dutch crypto platform Bitvavo. Their goal was to persuade victims to provide login details and change their two-factor authentication.

In these conversations, the suspects told Bitvavo customers that attempts were being made to withdraw (crypto) funds. Victims were told they could prevent this by securing their funds in a Trustwallet, a kind of secure wallet. However, the Trustwallet was controlled by the suspects.

If you doubt the authenticity of a message from a crypto platform, contact the official channels of that platform.

Secure websites
Victims were also persuaded by the public prosecutor to enter access codes for their crypto ledgers on so-called secure websites. These sites were also managed by the suspects, allowing them to obtain login details. This enabled cryptocurrency funds to be siphoned off to third-party crypto accounts. Some victims lost more than one million euros in cryptocurrencies this way.

Dubai
The suspects regularly traveled to places including Dubai. There, they not only enjoyed vacations but, according to the OM, continued committing helpdesk fraud from abroad.

From prison
Research on the data carriers and follow-up investigations of the main suspects revealed that they directed a large criminal collaboration with various callers. This was done partly through group chats on Snapchat. In such groups, accomplices were instructed to commit fraud. Victims were mockingly called fish by the suspects.

The collaboration was reportedly active even while the main suspects were in prison. They partly directed it from their cells. Since then, new arrests have been made and many new victims identified.

Filing a report pays off
This case shows that filing a report pays off. Although a case following a report is not always immediately solved, the registration in police systems ensures that your report can be solved months later after developments in an ongoing investigation.

If you doubt the authenticity of a message from a crypto platform, contact the official channels of that platform.

In about three months, there will be another public hearing. The court will then have to reconsider extending the pre-trial detention.