The man from Wageningen was arrested on March 14 in Arnhem. He is suspected of involvement in cases in Borne, Enschede, and Steenwijk. The man has since appeared before the council chamber and will remain in custody for ninety more days. In Enschede, the man from Renkum was a co-suspect. He was already arrested on March 8 in Wolfheze. Since there was already an investigation against him within the police unit in The Hague, that unit is conducting further investigations into his involvement in the incident in Enschede and several other fraud cases. This suspect is still in custody as well.
The number of incidents involving fake police officers has significantly increased in recent times. They often use similar scams. A victim receives a call, is scared (for example, because there have been several burglaries in the area), and is pressured. This often convinces elderly people to hand over valuable items to a ‘police officer’ who comes to the door.
What can you do against fake police officers?
If you receive a call:
- Hang up immediately if you are called by someone claiming to be from the police asking for valuables such as jewelry or bank details.
- Call the police at 0900-8844 and check with them if you were actually called by a police officer.
- If you have given out information: do not let anyone in.
If someone is at your door:
- Do not open the door for someone who claims to be from the police without verifying their identity. First, ask for the police identification and personnel number of the person at the door and also call the police at 112 to verify the number.
- A real police officer can always identify themselves with a valid police identification. This is a card that has the name, personnel number, and a photo. This identification is made of polycarbonate, just like a drivers license. The police identification also has several visible and invisible security features to make it harder to forge. Here is an example. A police officer in civilian clothing must always voluntarily show their police identification.