Cyber-crime

15-year-old among six arrested after Dutch cops target suspected bank fraud call center

Six people suspected of bank helpdesk fraud are in custody after Dutch cops stormed an Amsterdam residence and caught them in conversation with a potential victim.

Police say the individuals were aged between 15 and 30 and operated out of a makeshift call center they had established in an Amsterdam home.

Authorities believe the accused committed bank helpdesk fraud, which has become increasingly popular across the Netherlands. Offenders were recently targeted as part of Game Over?!, a novel law enforcement scheme that successfully shamed criminals into submitting themselves to authorities.

Helpdesk scammers typically operate call victims on the phone, using methods similar to voice phishing, or "vishing."

They present themselves as bank employees contacting victims under various guises, all designed to steal their money.

In this case, police say the alleged criminals tried to convince victims to "increase their limits," and in "several" cases, succeeded in stealing funds from their accounts.

The precise cover story is largely irrelevant, however. The aim of the game is the same each time: Convince a prospective victim to surrender enough details to access their bank accounts and steal their money.

While these scams mostly take place remotely, Dutch police said in their announcement on Tuesday that the crew sent members to visit victims in person, purportedly offering hands-on assistance to secure their accounts.

The same tactic can often be observed with fake police officer shakedowns, which have also become popular in the country.

Police say tens of thousands of elderly people, who make up the majority of targets for such scams, have fallen victim to the confidence scams.

In these cases, fraudsters visit elderly individuals' houses and pretend to represent law enforcement, offering a service to safeguard their valuables.

The crooks then steal those valuables, and police say previous cases have turned violent. Some have also ended in fatalities.

Multiple victims of the helpdesk frauds reported their respective cases, according to the cops.

The National Intervention Team for Digital Crime was called in to investigate, and during a raid on June 10, officers found the suspects mid-call with a potential victim.

Officers seized multiple laptops and phones after apprehending the six suspects, and found several bank cards at the property.

Further arrests have not been ruled out. ®