Six Dutch people aged 19 to 25 must appear before the Belgian court for helpdesk fraud. The council chamber of the court in Antwerp decided this on Friday. They visited elderly victims throughout Flanders on a large scale at their homes and defrauded them by posing as bank employees.
Two of the suspects were arrested in late 2022 arrested during a police check. Their car turned out to contain two card readers, cash and several mobile phones. When reading one of the phones, the police found several addresses of victims of helpdesk fraud. For example, they had stolen 4,000 euros from a victim in Arendonk, near the Dutch border. The two also had recently purchased luxury goods in their vehicle.
The victims were contacted by telephone with the report that alleged fraud had been committed with their bank account. The caller introduced himself as a bank employee, who would then send a colleague to destroy the victim’s bank card. In reality, however, the card was cut in such a way that the chip remained readable. The perpetrators took it with them and used it to make cash withdrawals and payments.
During the investigation, a total of six Dutch suspects were identified as alleged members of the gang. The council chamber has now referred them to the court. They are charged with, among other things, fraud, IT fraud and participation in a criminal organization.
Growing problem
Helpdesk fraud remains a growing phenomenon, says the justice department in Antwerp. In 2023, 121 reports were drawn up in the province in which victims actually lost money. In total this amounted to more than 2.1 million euros. In 25 of those cases, the perpetrators physically visited the victim after a telephone call. “Remember that bank employees never come to your home,” the justice department warns. “Banking or government institutions will never ask you to share secret codes or try to gain remote access to your computer.”
Dutch perpetrators appear to have found a new area of work in Belgium. In September last year three Dutch people arrested in Belgium on suspicion of helpdesk fraud. It involved a 24-year-old woman from Nistelrode, and a 19-year-old man and 20-year-old man from Arnhem.
According to the Public Prosecution Service in Belgian Limburg, they targeted single very elderly people. The three are said to have conned at least 100,000 euros from at least fifteen victims in Hasselt, Bilzen and Tongeren, among others.
Two weeks ago, a 19-year-old Dutchman was also arrested in the investigation into helpdesk fraud. He had defrauded an 83-year-old woman from Stabroek, a village above Antwerp, of 5,500 euros.
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