Brussels (Brussels Morning) – In recent weeks, seven seniors in the Schelde-Leie Police Zone fell victim to scams, losing substantial sums. Scammers posed as bank officials, exploiting trust and lack of digital savvy among the elderly.
In two weeks, seven seniors from the Schelde-Leie Police Zone lost a lot of money after being scammed. The scammers always posed as bank employees and thus gained trust. The local police are sounding the alarm and calling on people to be vigilant. “We see that the elderly are particularly targeted.”
Why are elderly individuals particularly vulnerable to these scams?
An 80-year-old woman from Latem received a call from an alleged bank employee. He convinced her that she had become the victim of fraud. However, the woman did not have to worry, because someone would come along – an alleged bank employee – to help her out. In reality, that person ran off with her personal information and 11,000 euros. She was scammed.
A few days later, an 88-year-old Latem resident experienced the same thing. Scammers called her and told her about the fraud, but promised to solve it immediately by sending someone. That ‘bank employee’ eventually made off with 6,000 euros. A serious bite out of the victim’s bank account.
These are two complaints that the local police have received more often in recent days. “We see that the elderly are particularly targeted,” says Sielke Brugge, spokeswoman for the Schelde-Leie police zone.
What tactics do scammers use to deceive elderly victims?
“The scammers play on emotions and take advantage of their lack of digital knowledge. They also scare victims by convincing them that something must be done quickly to stop the fraud.”
Scammers convince some victims to provide their bank cards and PIN codes. In other cases, the scammer performs actions on the computer together with the victim. “To stop the fraud,” they promise. In reality, large sums of money are transferred or expensive purchases are made.
“We would like to emphasize once again that real bank employees never come to your home. That used to be the case, but that is over,” says Brugge. “They will also never call you to ask for personal information, passwords or codes.”
How much money have victims lost in recent fraudulent schemes?
In two weeks, seven reports of fraud were received at Schelde-Leie. Five of the seven cases involved a scammer who pretended to be an employee of an official company such as a bank or Card Stop. The five victims together lost 65,890 euros. Other complaints were received on Wednesday. Two residents lost a lot of money after clicking on a link from the Christian Mutuality. “A fraudulent link,” sighs Brugge. “One victim lost fifteen thousand euros, a second resident lost between twenty and thirty thousand euros.”
What is being done to investigate and stop these scams?
The police do not yet have any insight into who exactly the scammers are: are they gangs and are they often the same perpetrators? “Our criminal investigation department is fully investigating the complaints. They cannot yet answer those questions,” says Brugge.
