Package courier convicted of wide-ranging identity theft, stealing online orders

The District Court in Leeuwarden convicted a package deliverer of fraud in connection with a scheme in which she allegedly stole thousands of euros worth of goods while working for DHL and a courier service contracted by PostNL. The 27-year-old woman, Miranda W., was sentenced to 30 months in jail, including 12 which were conditionally suspended if specific terms are met.

The woman from Sint Jacobiparochie, Friesland, ordered 137 deliveries, such as hair care products, shoes, and clothes, using people with the same surname as her that she had found online. She did this between September 2022 and July of last year, investigators alleged.

She then brought the packages to a collection point, but kept them herself. The goods had a combined value of 16,740 euros. She sold most of the products on Facebook and Vinted.

The court stated on Tuesday that the woman damaged the trust that employers have in their staff on a large scale and showed no care for the victims of identity fraud. “She worked in a refined and unscrupulous manner.”

The woman was not held wholly accountable by the court. She was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and personality disorder.

W. was still on two separate probation periods due to similar crimes in the past. She was ordered to serve an extra 817 days in jail in addition to the jail sentence imposed by the court in this case.