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.
