Halen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – At least 13 people, mostly elderly, in Halen, were targeted by scammers posing as police officers. Reports also came from Lummen and Hasselt. Police spokesperson Dorien Baens urges caution and reporting scams.
According to Dorien Baens, a spokesperson for the Limburg Regio Hoofdstad Police Zone, most scam calls came from Halen. There were also reports from Lummen and Hasselt. The police are warning people to be careful with unexpected calls from those pretending to be officers.
They remind everyone that real police do not ask for personal or financial information over the phone. Authorities want anyone who gets such a call to report it right away. They mentioned that this can help raise awareness and track these scams to prevent more from happening.
“Because not everyone reports, more victims were likely contacted,”
Explains Dorien Baens of the Limburg Regio Hoodstad Police Zone.
“The reports almost all came from Halen, but there were also some from Lummen and Hasselt.”
Are scammers posing as police targeting Halen residents?
Scammers use fake stories to trick people and gain their trust. They sometimes claimed that fraud happened with the victim’s bank card, which made people feel scared. Other times, they said there had been a burglary nearby or that suspicious people were arrested in the area.
By telling these lies, they tried to make victims think they were real police officers and needed to help. Their goal was to get bank cards and sensitive banking information. Most people saw through the scam and did not get tricked, but one person did lose money. The police said that the loss was not very large.
According to Dorien Baens, this scam is common among criminals. They pretend to be police officers to trick people. This method is known in their area and across Flanders. Because of this threat, police ask everyone to be careful.
They mentioned that they should never share bank details over the phone. If someone gets a strange call from someone claiming to be a police officer, they should hang up and call emergency number 101. Reporting these scams can help protect others from being tricked.
“In our zone as well as in the rest of Flanders, this is unfortunately a well-known modus operandi,”
Police said.
Over the weekend, at least 13 people in Halen were tricked by a phone scam. The scammers pretended to be police officers. Most of the victims were elderly people. They called to gain trust and get personal information or money.
According to officials, these scams usually try to get sensitive details or convince people to send money. Authorities are worried because many cases of fraud go unreported, so the real number of victims could be higher.
