The police in Noord-Drenthe are very concerned about an increasing number of fraud reports, which are mainly affecting the elderly. Not only are attempts to extort money by telephone, scammers also come to the door.
“It has been going on for some time, but in recent days we have seen several reports coming in. And several reports have also been received today,” says a spokesperson. According to him, the criminals mainly target senior citizens. “Several elderly people have already been scammed for thousands of euros.”
Criminal often call the elderly and pretend to be a bank employee. They try to steal their bank details, or say they will send someone over to pick up the debit card. According to the spokesman, scammers also come to the door unannounced, where they try to gain the trust of victims.
It is a mystery to the police why it is precisely now that North Drenthe is being hit more often. The police are investigating the scams and meanwhile warn the elderly to cut off telephone calls and call their bank themselves. People must also refuse to hand over debit cards and allow so-called bank employees to install software on devices.