On Thursday afternoon, January 29, the man from Numansdorp received a phone call. The caller introduced himself properly with name and surname and said he worked at ABN AMRO bank. The so-called bank employee said that there was suspected fraud with his bank card. An amount of 1200 euros was ready to be transferred to Belgium. This had been noticed by the bank and they had already blocked his account. Because the victim was in the car and could not access his online banking, they agreed to call back in an hour.

Check with the bank
Because the victim did not trust the conversation, he called his bank himself to verify the story. There he heard that the bank had definitely not called and that his account was not blocked. The victim knew enough and called the police. An officer came to his home and listened in when the scammer called a second time.

Tricks and codes
As usual with this type of scammer, a courier would be sent to collect his debit card and PIN. To gain victims trust, the scammers give a code over the phone. The courier must show the same code to prove it is legitimate. In reality, these codes are prearranged signals among the scammers.

Face to face
Shortly after, the so-called courier rang the doorbell. But what the courier did not know was that the envelope he received from the victim did not contain his PIN but a stack of useless papers. The courier left the house but suddenly found himself face to face with the officer who, together with the victim, had been waiting for him at the door. The officer immediately handcuffed the scammer. Further investigation is underway to see if the 21-year-old from Rotterdam might also be involved in other cases of bank helpdesk fraud.

What is bank helpdesk fraud?
Every year many people fall victim to bank helpdesk fraud. In this scam, a fraudster pretends to be a bank employee on the phone. According to him or her, there is something wrong with the bank account or online banking settings. The scammer asks for personal information that allows access to money. Think of your login details or PIN. Sometimes they ask to transfer money or to start online banking and follow the steps together.

Spoofing calls
Scammers have a special trick: phone number spoofing. The phone screen shows a different number than the one the scammers call from. This makes it look like you are called by the banks real number. During the conversation, scammers play on this. They ask to compare the phone number with the one on the banks website. This is to gain trust.

What can I do against bank helpdesk fraud?
Always be alert during a call from the bank. Personal data or login codes are private. Official employees never ask for these. Therefore, never give them away! Also, do not log in together on your bank account. Furthermore, bank employees never ask to transfer money to a safe account. In case of suspicious activities, the bank blocks your account. They do not let you transfer money.  

Do you suspect a scammer on the phone? End the call immediately. Do not be persuaded and disconnect. Look up the banks number yourself. Call the bank to check if you were just called.