The Arnhem resident approached sellers of expensive products on Marktplaats, such as the latest models of laptops and phones. Through the chat on Marktplaats, he made an appointment with the seller. Then he, or another person, went to the seller and paid with counterfeit 50 euro notes. He then resold the laptops and phones on Marktplaats.

Investigation
For the investigation, the police worked closely with Marktplaats. During the arrest of the 18-year-old man, the police seized multiple phones for investigation. Counterfeit money, a car, and expensive luxury goods were also seized. The role and involvement of the suspect in the fraud are being investigated.

If there are people who have become victims of similar fraud via Marktplaats with counterfeit 50 euro notes, we urge them to report this. The police expect to be able to link multiple reports to this case.

The suspect is currently in custody and will be presented to the examining magistrate on Friday. As there may have been multiple people involved in the fraud, the police do not rule out additional arrests.

Digital crime teams
The investigation was conducted by the digital crime team from Twente, one of the five digital crime teams that the police in East Netherlands have had since this year. A better approach to digitalized crime is one of the priorities of the police in East Netherlands. More and more citizens are becoming victims of digital crime, and research shows that the impact on victims is at least as great as that of traditional crime.

Prevent fraud
Fraud can be prevented with the following tips:

• Research who the (seller) is of the product. For example, read reviews.
• If payment is made in cash, check the authenticity features such as the watermark and hologram.
• Make transactions via online banking.

2025135037 ER