Haarlem woman arrested for posing as pharmacist to steal people's painkillers
The police arrested a woman from Haarlem for posing as a pharmacist and stealing medication, primarily from the elderly. She mainly took the addictive painkiller oxycodone, NH Nieuws reported.
The broadcaster got wind of the woman when it noticed Haarlem residents warning each other about her online.
They said she visits people at home, telling them she is a pharmacy employee and that there were contaminated pills in circulation. She was there to collect the contaminated medication, and the pharmacy would replace it soon. She’d leave with the pills, and the victims would discover they’d been scammed when they called the pharmacy to find out about the replacement.
Fake cop scams are increasingly common, but this is the first time the Haarlem police encountered a fake pharmacist, a spokesperson told NH. “We haven’t seen anything like this in recent years,” the spokesperson said.
The police received six reports of the woman and arrested her recently. “This is about addiction issues. She was in custody and has since been released. She will be receiving support as soon as possible.” The police believe the woman acted alone.
Haarlem pharmacies have issued a warning to customers about this type of scam. “We never come to your door without prior notice. We always call beforehand. If you have any doubts, it’s best to call us first,” a pharmacy spokesperson told the broadcaster.
