Bank helpdesk fraud is a form of fraud where victims are contacted by individuals posing as bank employees. They inform the victims that the money in their bank account(s) is no longer safe and then pressure them to secure their money (with or without assistance). In reality, the victims transfer the money to an account controlled by the fraudsters.

Due to the significant increase in reports of bank helpdesk fraud and the impact such fraud cases have on victims, it was decided to establish a district team specifically to investigate these cases. 

Feeling of Safety
Esther, a detective from the district investigation team Leiden-Bollenstreek, coordinates the investigation and the team of a total of 7 detectives: “The impact on the victims is so terribly great. People are ashamed that they fell into the trap despite all the warnings. Their feeling of safety and trust in humanity is severely affected. Sometimes to the extent that it takes us as detectives a lot of effort to even make contact with the victims. They trust no one anymore, so we often have to make contact through their children.” The team tries to convince the victims that it is really not their fault. These types of fraudsters are very cunning and spend an average of one to four hours on the phone with their victims. They take their time to gain the trust of their target. Because bank helpdesk fraud cases often involve the use of fake police officers, who supposedly come to collect items for safekeeping, these reports are also investigated by the team. 

Criminal Career
Although there have already been some arrests of suspects who claimed to be from the bank and came to collect the bank card, the team hopes to get a clearer picture of the bigger picture and identify the suspects behind these networks. “The suspects you see in these cases are often still young, sometimes even minors. Influencable youths or young adults, sometimes slightly mentally disabled. They go for quick money and do not think at all about the impact of their actions on the often older victims.” For collecting a bank card, a suspect earns between 100 and 200 euros on average. It starts with this kind of simple crime, but that is a gateway to further growth within the criminal world.

Severe Penalties
So far, nine suspects have been arrested in the investigation, which is named Terra, four of whom were caught in the act. “But there will certainly be more,” predicts Esther. There are many contacts with other units because some suspects already appear in investigations elsewhere in the country. Bank helpdesk fraud is a very mobile form of crime where suspects cross the borders of various police units. The team has so far investigated 30 cases themselves and has transferred 12 cases to other police units where investigations against certain suspects were already ongoing. The Public Prosecution Service is also strongly focusing on these suspects due to the impact on the victims. “In a cluster of 10 cases that can be linked to a suspect, this person could face a prison sentence of 30 months.” In the first half of 2024, the district investigation team arrested two suspects in another investigation for a total of ten cases of bank helpdesk fraud. They were both sentenced to 3 years in prison and ordered to pay compensation to the victims.

Power of Repetition
Education is an important tool to create awareness and resilience among citizens and businesses, in order to prevent people from becoming victims. There has also been a lot of media attention for bank helpdesk fraud. And not without success. “We are starting to notice in recent months that the number of successful attempts is decreasing, but we are receiving many reports from citizens where fraudsters have attempted to strike,” says Esther. “So that is good news, as it means that people are more alert and fall for it less often, but still call us because they do not trust it.” The greatest satisfaction for the team lies not only in arresting suspects. People are so happy and grateful when we tell them that a suspect has been arrested, that makes it all worth it, she concludes with satisfaction. 

Stay Alert!
Because a warned person counts for two, here is a reminder of the most important tips to prevent you from becoming a victim. The most important thing to emphasize is that your bank or the police will never come to your door to collect your cards or other valuable items. A bank or the police will never ask for your PIN. If someone calls and asks for this, hang up immediately! If you have also been contacted by phone, call the police at 0900 - 8844. If someone actually comes to the door with a suspicious story: do not engage and call 112 immediately.

Warn the Elderly
Everyone can help make it as difficult as possible for fraudsters. Tell your parents, grandparents, or older neighbors that there are regularly scams happening. And that it is not rude at all to hang up or not let strangers in. Especially not if they feel something is wrong. Advise them to call the police immediately in that case.

Prevention Tips
On the police website, there is a special theme page dedicated to scams, how to prevent them, and what to do if you unexpectedly become a victim. This aims to make people more alert to the risks that can lead to theft through scams. Additionally, the page contains tips that help the elderly enhance their own safety. The page can be found via this link: https://www.politie.nl/onderwerpen/babbeltruc.html