The police arrested three men and two women on Tuesday, July 8, in a building at a holiday park in Hellevoetsluis. They are suspected of phishing activities. They were caught red-handed and arrested. The police searched the holiday home. Several other properties that came up in the investigation were also searched. The police seized a lot of items, from large (crypto) amounts of money to vehicles, a lot of designer clothing, and expensive watches.

The suspects
These include a 31-year-old man from Capelle aan den IJssel, a 31-year-old man from The Hague, a 26-year-old man from Rotterdam, and two women (23 and 25) without a fixed residence.

Status is very important
A detective from the Rotterdam Cybercrime Team: “And as is often the case with these suspects, we see that showing off your ‘acquired wealth’ is very important. We see this, among other things, in the amount of designer clothing we have seized. It’s about status. The suspects forget the suffering they cause. Walking around in expensive shoes or with a thick watch is not very cool when you’ve taken money from someone who could have been your grandmother or grandfather.”

Bank Help Desk Fraud
In bank help desk fraud, victims are approached via email, text messages, WhatsApp messages, and then led - via a phishing link - to a fake (bank) website. The information that victims fill in there (including a phone number) is then misused. Victims are called by a so-called bank employee or an employee of a so-called fraud prevention team with the message that fraud is being committed with their bank account and that the (bank) employee can help them. Bank accounts are then ruthlessly plundered.

Tips to prevent becoming a victim

• Check the sender of text messages, emails, and chat conversations and if in doubt; click away or hang up.
• If you don’t trust it 100%, don’t do what you are asked.
• If something sounds too good to be true? Then it often is.
• Officers never come to your door to collect valuable items.
• Read more tips at: https://veiliginternetten.nl/

Become a victim?
If you have become a victim, do not be ashamed. You are really not the only one this happens to. Therefore, always contact your bank immediately to block your account. And always report to the police. This can be done by phone, in person at the station, or in many cases also online. Also, share your story with friends and acquaintances. This helps prevent new victims from being made.

No report, no chance of restitution
The police and the public prosecutor always strive to return criminally obtained money to the victims. For this, filing a report is essential. Without a report, you as a victim cannot be linked to a suspect.