Client service worker in Amsterdam linked to over 20 cases of help desk fraud, robbery

A 21-year-old Amsterdam resident is in custody for involvement in over 20 cases of help desk fraud in which elderly people were robbed of money and jewelry. According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), he stole the victims’ personal data through his temporary work at a company’s customer service department, shared it with others, and worked with them to commit fraud or rob the victims at their homes.

According to the OM, the data the Amsterdam man stole was used as “leads” for cyber criminals to scam people through phishing. Criminals also showed up at victims’ homes, posing as police officers or telecom workers, and stole their jewelry and other valuable belongings.

The police arrested the temporary worker on April 22 and he is still in custody. On the suspect’s phone, the police found photos of personal data of very elderly customers of the company, and a group chat “from which it is clear that the participants are guilty of criminal offenses,” the OM said.

“This is the first time in Amsterdam that a customer service employee has allegedly deliberately unlawfully used personal data from the company for which he worked,” the OM said. It appears that the data from the company’s database was used to select victims from across the country, gain their trust, and then take money and possessions from them.”

The investigation is ongoing.