Anderlecht (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A postal worker received a 175-hour community service sentence from the Brussels criminal court for stealing credit cards with money withdrawals affecting Remco Evenepoel and other individuals. The thief managed to steal 19,500 euros.
An Anderlecht postman received 175 hours of community service as his punishment for stealing credit cards, including Remco Evenepoel’s card and withdrawing 19,500 euros in total. The postman spent the stolen credit cards at gambling establishments but afterwards discarded or returned them. Although the public prosecutor sought eighteen months behind bars, the judge replaced imprisonment with 175 hours of community work, but imprisonment remains an option for non-compliance with community service requirements.
“In total, the defendant withdrew almost 19,500 euros with the stolen cards,”
The Halle-Vilvoorde public prosecutor’s office said at the hearing of the criminal court.
“He used this to finance his gambling addiction. He threw away cards he had used afterwards or returned them to their rightful owner.”
Staff from the post office used security camera recordings to identify their postman near an ATM machine, which then led authorities to search his Anderlecht house, where they found numerous stolen payment cards. Detectives discovered one of the stolen cards belonged to a business in which Remco Evenepoel holds ownership shares and was destined for his use.
What is the history behind credit card fraud and mail theft in Belgium?
Belgium has faced continuous challenges regarding credit card fraud and mail theft ever since digital banking and ATMs became widespread in the early 2000s. Statistics from the Belgian Federal Police show that financial crimes involving card skimming and mail interception rose by 25% throughout the last ten years.
Due to its large population density and extensive mail system, the Brussels region has established itself as a leading location for these kinds of criminal activities. Postal workers, from time to time, have been detected committing fraud from their access to postal mail, but this behaviour has not been common.
