‘Calculating and kicked by’, the judges of the Northern fraud room called the way in which a 23-year-old man from Groningen and three former Leeuwarders (26, 27 and 29) from Drenthe recreational houses committed Bankhelpdeskfraude on a large scale. In prison sentences of 3.5 and four years in prison have been distributed. Up to five years in prison was demanded.
This foursome was caught on December 19, 2023 at the recreation park in Gasselternijveen. A citizen agent lived temporarily in that park, together with his wife. The wife could not leave the car, she was blocked by another parked car. She went to get a story and saw four men busy at work. As if she had entered a call center. She inquired her husband. Shortly thereafter, a raid took place in the house.
The phones, laptops and headsets were seized. There appeared to be a large scale with older people, where the caller presented himself as a bank employee. There was something going on with the bank account, the entry was invariably. It was offered to look into the victim’s computer. Before they had a lot of it, their bank account was looted.
The research showed that the cyber criminals struck from several holiday parks. They were also active from parks in Emmen, Orvelte and Appelscha. Three suspects shared a home in Leeuwarden. There the agents found a hundred SIM cards, illegal software and more telephones. The three men no longer have a permanent place to live.
The 23-year-old man from Groningen also received the punishment for the same facts from a house on the Damsport in Groningen. He did this together with a 30-year-old man from Assen. They abused a vulnerable man and woman who were used as money fences. The Assenaar was not involved in the activities on the holiday parks. He received ten months in prison.
The four men who operated from recreation parks had been active for at least four to six months. They worked closely together, and were only focused on committing fraud and scams. As a result, according to the court, several people and banks have been scammed for thousands and even tens of thousands of euros. The men were alerted.
They have deliberately abused the aroused trust in vulnerable, often older, victims. By overwhelming them with lies, they gained access to their savings accounts. This undermines the confidence that account holders generally have in payment transactions and banking, the judge judges. The men did not care about the consequences. “It was an easy way to get money quickly.”
The foursome must go back to the cell immediately. The judge decided that they would have to pay damage amounts of up to 75,000 euros.