Leuven (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – An 82-year-old woman in Heverlee, Leuven, was scammed by a fake bank caller. “Daniel” stole her jewellery and cards; €600 was withdrawn. Police are investigating with CCTV and forensics.
As VRT News reported, an 82-year-old woman from Heverlee, Leuven, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, was tricked by scammers on Thursday evening, July 17, 2025. It started when she got a phone call from a man who said he worked at her bank. He told her that €1,500 had been taken from her account and said someone might have made a copy of her bank card.
The caller had worried her and wanted information on her bank cards and bank accounts. The caller also asked if she had any jewellery or assets at her house. The caller then told her that a man named “Daniel from the bank” was going to come to her house that evening to pick up her cards and valuables for safekeeping. The woman believed him and followed his instructions, not knowing it was all part of a scam.
What happened in Heverlee after ‘Daniel from the Bank’ stole €600?
About an hour later, a young man in his twenties came to the woman’s house and said he was Daniel from the bank. She trusted him and let him inside. He told her he would take her jewelry to keep it safe and put it all in a bag. Then he asked for her bank cards. The woman gave him everything.
The man quickly left with her cards and jewelry. After a while, the woman started to worry and called her daughter. Her daughter quickly saw that it was a scam. The man had stolen everything and was gone. The police are now looking into the case.
After her mother told her what had happened, the daughter quickly checked her bank account. She saw that €600 had already been taken out at an ATM in the center of Leuven, not long after the scam.
She called the bank to block the account so that no more money could be stolen. But by then, it was too late. The scammers had already taken the cash from the ATM, along with the jewelry and the bank cards they took from the house.
The police have started a full investigation into the case. Crime lab personnel went to the woman’s house to collect evidence. They examined the furniture where the jewellery was kept, looking for any fingerprints left by the thief. The officers hope this will help them find out who came into the house.
Meanwhile, researchers are also reviewing camera images taken at the ATM located in the centre of Leuven, where €600 was withdrawn with the stolen bank card. They are hoping the person can be identified from the video.
