Police and the Public Prosecution Service: extra attention to WhatsApp fraud

The Dutch Police and the Public Prosecution Service are asking for extra attention this week regarding WhatsApp fraud. There is still a large group of people who fall victim to fraud via the messaging service.

Fraud via WhatsApp

This week, the Public Prosecution Service of East Brabant and the Police are asking for extra attention for fraud via WhatsApp. The messaging service is often used for fraud, such as scams. Criminals keep trying to scam the recipient and steal money through the service. According to an estimate, tens of thousands of people are approached every year to transfer money to ‘a friend, relative or acquaintance’. He or she often sends a message that he or she urgently needs financial help. There are also many messages in which ‘the acquaintance’ cannot make a payment, his telephone has been lost, switched telephones or lost papers. A known message is the fraud with the message that the sender has a new number.

According to the Public Prosecution Service and the Police, it often happens that well-meaning victims fall for the scammer’s story, and thus transfer money to the criminal. Not everyone makes a report or report to the police, often because people are ashamed of it. Several police investigations show that often the scammers, recruiters and organizers are not found, but they almost always end up with the money mules; people who make their bank account available to the criminals. They are also guilty of a criminal offense with far-reaching consequences.

So always stay alert to fraud, even via WhatsApp, even if it sometimes seems so innocent.