A 21-year-old woman was arrested at her home in Nistelrode on Tuesday in a major case in which fake bank employees stole more than fifty thousand euros, according to the police. The fake bank employees made dozens of victims. In addition to the woman from Nistelrode, three men aged 19 and 22 from Rotterdam were also arrested. The four are linked by the police to at least eighteen cases of bank card fraud.
The police launched an investigation after several reports were received in quick succession from victims who had been scammed after being called by a so-called employee of the bank. It was striking that the victims initially all came from a certain neighborhood in Rotterdam.
‘Devious tricks’
The fake bank employees managed to gain the trust of the victims in a devious way. Something was said to be wrong with their account and action had to be taken quickly. The fake bank employee ‘helped’ the victims and would block the account. Then was told that the debit cards needed to be replaced. The old cards were retrieved and in some cases it was indicated that the victims could cut the bank card.
The victims were also given ‘a code’. The person who would pick up the bank card also had this code. The number is said to be intended as a check so that the victim was sure that the card could be issued safely. “All devious tricks to gain the trust of the victims and to convince them to hand over the bank card and PIN,” says a detective involved in the investigation about the criminals’ working method.
Bank accounts looted
Shortly after handing over the bank card, the victim’s bank accounts were looted at an ATM. There was also shopping at various stores at the expense of the victims.
In the investigation, the police saw the same suspects on surveillance images several times. In this way, detectives were able to identify the pinners and arrest the four suspects. They are now linked to eighteen cases, but it is suspected that they have made many more victims throughout the country.
The four, including the woman who was arrested in her home in Nistelrode, are being interrogated. Police do not rule out more arrests.