Fraudster arrested red-handed

On Monday, April 17, around 3:30 p.m., the phone rings at the Amsterdam. The woman answers and on the other end of the line is a so-called bank employee. This employee tells her that a colleague of his will visit the woman that evening to get her debit card. All the Amsterdam resident has to do is put the bank card in an envelope, hand it over and she will receive a new card the next day. This smart lady doesn’t believe this story at all, but does make the ‘bank employee’ believe that she will hand over her debit card that evening. Instead, she immediately contacts the police and reports this suspicious call. The report is passed on and in the evening a few plainclothes officers are in and around the area around the woman’s home to keep an eye on things.

Envelope

The Amsterdam woman is called at 7.15 pm and receives a code from the bank employee. The man who comes to pick up the debit card also knows this code, so the woman knows that this man can be trusted. More than an hour later, a young man rings the Amsterdam doorbell. The woman opens the door and asks the young man if he is from the bank and is coming to get her debit card. The young man agrees and gives the same code that was previously provided to the woman by telephone. She then hands him an envelope which he thinks contains the bank card, but of course this is not the case. The young man puts the envelope in his pocket, wishes the woman a good evening and walks away.

Suspect arrested red-handed

That’s when the police officers come into action and stop the young man. They indicate to him that they are from the police and tell him that he has been arrested. One of the officers grabs the suspect, but he resists. He gives the officer a push for which he falls to the ground. A colleague of the officer immediately takes action and works the suspect to the ground. The young man continues to resist, but eventually the officer manages to handcuff him. The suspect, a 20-year-old Amsterdammer, will be transferred to the police station for questioning and will be brought before the examining magistrate on Thursday, April 20. This will determine whether the suspect is placed in custody or released.

Tips on calls

In most cases of fraud, the victims were first contacted by the scammers by telephone. Here are the most important tips for people approached by so-called bank employees:

• Are you unsure whether you have a scammer on the phone? Even if you have slight doubts: disconnect immediately.
• Find the correct telephone number of the bank yourself. Then you can call the bank back and ask if what you were told and what you were asked to do is correct.
• Never share your pin and/or login codes. Also, never hand over your bank card, even if it has been cut in half. The chip will still work so that scammers can withdraw money.
• Do not install software such as Teamviewer or Anydesk. Use the normal banking app.
• Do not transfer money to a safe (vault) account. Such accounts do not exist.

Victim of chat trick? File a report!

Are you the victim of a chat trick and the perpetrator has disappeared? Then call the police on number 0900-8844. If the perpetrator is inside your home or is still nearby, call 112 immediately.