A resident of Moergestel fell victim to a chat trick in September. A man posing as a police officer made off with jewelry and debit cards. Thanks to an alert knowledge of the victim, there is a clear photo of the suspect. These images can be seen on Monday in the Bureau Brabant investigation program.
The victim received a call on September 2 from someone who said he was from the bank. Suspicious transactions were said to have been made. According to the caller, the victim’s account was therefore blocked and the old bank card had to be collected.
The man from Moergestel was then allegedly transferred to the police, who said that there were burglars in the area. The victim was asked to put his jewelry in an envelope. That envelope was collected, together with the debit card.
The suspect was at the door moments later and was not wearing a police uniform. “He said he did that so that the neighborhood wouldn’t wonder what the police came to do,” the victim said in Bureau Brabant. “I thought it was good.”
Photo
The resident let the man in. The suspect wanted to leave with the envelope when an acquaintance of the victim happened to enter. She didn’t trust it and tried to stop the man. “I asked what he came to do,” she says in Bureau Brabant. “I took the envelopes from the table. The suspect took them back and then I was able to take a photo of him.”
The scammer then quickly made off with money, bank cards and personal jewelry. “I didn’t realize at that moment that I had been duped,” says the victim. “How could I have fallen for that? In retrospect, I should have thought better.”
Signaling
The suspect is between 30 and 35 years old. He has tan skin and dark curly hair. He was wearing blue pants with holes and a shirt with a busy print.