The man used the identification documents of unsuspecting victims to apply for bank accounts. He obtained these, among other ways, by offering apartments and requesting personal documents from interested parties, such as bank statements and payslips. To pass the banks digital identity verification process, he altered facial features like eyes, nose, and mouth in the photos on the identification documents to match his own face or transferred the facial features from the ID onto his own face. Using this so-called deepfake technique, he succeeded in opening and misusing dozens of bank accounts. The involved parties have since taken measures to detect this method.

Stroke of luck
After the bank noticed the fraudulent accounts and reported them to the police, a specialized team focused on combating digital crime started an investigation. They were able to link at least 46 accounts to the suspect. While the investigation was ongoing, the trail led to the suspect faster than expected. At a border control, colleagues from the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar) spotted the man. Because he carried a large number of bank cards, they suspected involvement in card fraud. The officers were then able to arrest the 34-year-old man from Amsterdam. The investigation is still ongoing, and the police do not rule out further arrests.

The man is in pre-trial detention. Last Friday, the suspect was remanded in custody by the examining magistrate.