She sits in her armchair in front of the television. Just like every night. But now with eyes full of tears. That’s never. She was called that afternoon, she says. On her landline, by a lady from the bank. At night an attempt had been made to break into her bank account, the lady said. The bank repelled the attack. Happy. Now someone would come along and try to find out who that had been.
With the lady from the bank still on the phone, the doorbell rings. “There you will have her,” says the voice to the lady of almost ninety. You can open quietly. She introduces herself as Denise Akkermans – a young woman between the ages of 25 and 30, straight blond hair, neat skirt, no glasses.
‘Denise Akkermans’ watches as the lady logs in on her tablet at her request. Three quarters of an hour later, she steps out the door with her bank card and pin code. I can’t give that to anyone, the older lady had said. True, only to a bank employee. “Tomorrow someone from the bank will bring a new card.”
She’s smart, the old lady. And when ‘Denise’ had just left, she remembered that the next day was Saturday. Then the bank was closed, crazy actually. Call anyway.
Just too late: A substantial amount had just been withdrawn twice in quick succession, said the real bank employee who blocked the accounts.
Trouble. Neighborhood police officer. declaration. Lost a lot of money. Great guilt.
“My old age pension had just arrived,” the older lady says later. “And, er, that also applies to the heating. The energy allowance. That’s all gone!”
Local police officers warn against the cliffs, says the spokesman for the Rotterdam police. She does not know whether chat tricks are used more often. She does know that it has been happening many times over the years. Swindling the elderly is extremely cowardly and very lucrative.
The excuses to enter are numerous: “We are new neighbors and will bring something delicious.”
“We are going to live next door, our house has the same layout, can I measure something?”
“My son really needs to pee, is that allowed?”
And then all of a sudden valuables disappeared.
“It is difficult to defend yourself against such pranks,” says the old lady.
We decide not to swear vulgarly, my first impulse. Now is the time for an Old Testament curse. “We will silence your singing, so-called Denise Akkermans! No one will hear the sound of your winches again. We’ll make you a bare rock, a drying place for nets. Fuck you!”
Sheila Chamberman replaces Gemma Venhuizen today
A version of this article also appeared in the February 1, 2023 issue