The two are suspected of having played a leading role in approaching mostly elderly victims. The arrests were made early Monday morning. Both men are in custody, and a total of three homes have been searched, two in Arnhem and one in Zutphen. Telephones, SIM cards, data carriers, and cash have been seized.
Refined Fraud Tactics
Both fake police officers and so-called bank employees operate in an organized manner and use refined tactics. They call elderly victims and warn them that there is a risk of a burglary or report that there are urgent concerns about their bank account. By posing as an officer or bank employee, they gain trust. In that capacity, valuable items or bank cards are often collected from the victim. In reality, criminals make off with the loot.
The number of incidents involving, for example, fake police officers has risen sharply in 2024. In 2024, the police registered a total of 8329 incidents involving these fake officers. That is about fifteen times as many as in all of 2023. A total of 357 suspects were arrested last year.
Investigation Ongoing
It is mostly runners who go to victims doors to collect valuable items. With this investigation, the police also believe they have uncovered the network behind it. The men are in custody, and further investigation into their exact involvement and the number of cases they may be linked to is ongoing.