Four men heard today that sentences of up to 3 years in prison and community service are being demanded against them for suspected fraud. They are alleged to have defrauded dozens of victims across the country by taking on handyman jobs through websites such as Werkspot and Homedeal, while never performing any work. They are said to have earned around 500,000 euros in total.
In May 2023, 16 reports of fraud against a construction company were received by the police. Thanks to the hard work of the police, three men were arrested: a 50-year-old man from Heerhugowaard and two men aged 39 and 43 from Den Helder. During one of those arrests, the police found invoices from a second company. Shortly thereafter, a fourth suspect, a 40-year-old man from Den Helder, was arrested.
Discount for Immediate Payment
The suspects operated in the same way each time. They approached potential customers via Homedeal and Werkspot. Then there was contact with non-existent employees like “Jasper de Vries” or “Cor van Groningen” and an appointment was made to come and measure things. After someone actually came by, customers would then receive an offer by email. Often, a discount was offered if the entire amount was transferred at once. If there was an agreement and the invoice was paid, a date was set for the work to be carried out. But on that date, no one showed up and the company was no longer reachable. Because the start of the work was scheduled months later, the victims only discovered much later that they had been defrauded, allowing the fraudsters to create many victims for months.
Cheerfully Continuing
The public prosecutor criticizes the suspects for committing large-scale fraud against private customers over a longer period. “When the name of the first company was used up, the fraudsters cheerfully continued their fraudulent practices with a new company. Cunning, ruthless, and solely driven by greed.”.
The men each had their own role in these fraudulent practices. The man from Heerhugowaard and the 39-year-old man from Den Helder were both key players in the frauds. The man from Heerhugowaard was also guilty of money laundering the proceeds. Sentences of 3 and 2 years in prison were demanded against those men. The other two men are considered by the Public Prosecution Service to be guilty of complicity in fraud by acting as front men for the companies. Sentences of community service of 240 hours and conditional prison sentences of 6 months were demanded against them.
Victims have filed claims amounting to hundreds of thousands of euros in this criminal case. The Public Prosecution Service believes that the suspects should repay these amounts.