Warning for fake bank employees or police officers committing theft at elderly people’s home
21 February 2024 - 5 min Reading time
More and more cases are being reported of elderly people being contacted by phone by a so-called “employee of the fraud department of a bank”, “employee of Cardstop” or “police officer”. They convince the victim that fraud has been detected on his/her account and suggest visiting the victim’s home to “resolve the situation”. In doing so, the criminals only have one objective: to steal as much as possible. We want to warn about this type of theft and call for vigilance.
Method of operation
Method of operation
Everything starts with a phone call from someone pretending to be an “employee of the fraud department of a bank” or a “police officer”. The scammer announces that fraud has been detected on the victim’s account, gains the victim’s trust and proposes to visit the person’s home.
Shortly afterwards or even during the phone call, the scammer is at the front door of the victim, giving him/her little time to think about the phone call. To supposedly protect him/her from further fraud, the scammer takes the victim’s bank and/or credit card(s) with pin code, as well as, for example, jewellery, cash, computers, etc. to secure these, he/she claims. In short: the scammer steals as many valuables as possible. Thus, this is obviously theft on a larger scale, that is not just aimed at the bank card or bank details.
The Federal Police notes that the criminals are usually well prepared and organised. They gain the trust of the victim by disposing of personal information, such as the victim’s name, phone number or date of birth. When they contact them by phone, they mimic a “real” bank call number or use the name of a person who actually works at the bank.
In this type of fraud, the criminals are not only after the bank card or bank details, but try to steal as many valuables as possible. We want to warn about this type of theft and call for vigilance.
How to recognise a fake bank employee
A real bank employee will never call you and ask to visit your home urgently following a fraud on your account. On top of that, he/she will also never persuade you to hand over your valuables, because they never come to your home to collect your bank card or other items. So this is always fraud!
Everyone can fall victim to scams. We must therefore be ever vigilant and also pay attention to the most vulnerable around us. Safety is a concern for all of us. By raising awareness, warning each other and notifying the police of suspicious actions, we make it a lot harder for criminals.
Prevention is better than cure
There is actually only one golden tip: when a “bank employee” calls you and says he/she needs to come over to protect your belongings from fraud, realise this is a scammer and do not go along with it. Break contact immediately and inform your bank and local police, using the official phone numbers. Since these scammers mostly target seniors, it is important to warn elderly people around you to protect them as much as possible from these thefts.
Still have fallen victim?
If you did fall into the trap, it is best to take the following steps as soon as possible:
- Call Card Stop on 078 170 170 to block your bank and/or credit card(s)
- Inform your bank (Worldline België | Bankapplicatie laten blokkeren door je bank (cardstop.be)) (web page only available in Dutch/French)
- File a police report immediately
The police highlights that it is important to always file a report, even of an attempt, and to do so as soon as possible. Multiple complaints are often reported around the same time. Combining these complaints increases the chances of the police being able to track down the perpetrators. Reporting can be done at the police station or online via Home | Police on web.
