‘Hi mom, I have a new number. My phone was stolen, as was my purse. Do you want to transfer 1,000 euros so I can make ends meet?’ In the end it turns out that she is not the daughter or son she is writing, but a criminal. Every month hundreds of people are defrauded in this way. Can you still get the money back?
According to Jennifer Schoorlemmer, a spokeswoman for the police, between 320 and 500 people a month have recently been defrauded in this way. Some of them have figured out the trick, she says. Yet about 60% of these people have lost their money. Which can easily reach thousands of euros. An amount they can’t afford to lose. How do you recover it?
Don’t always lose money after scams
Rick van der Rest of First Aid for Online Fraude indicates that people shouldn’t give up all hope of losing their money permanently. “Of course you are shocked at such a moment. But since the beginning of last year we have had the Non-Banking Fraud Procedure (PNBF). The victim can request the scammer through the bank to refund the money or possibly – if this happens it does not happen : receive personal data to hire a bailiff yourself.”
“It looks harder than it is,” says Van der Rest. “You can involve the bailiff online and the costs will be charged to the fraudster.”
Half of the people who have done this have either received a full refund or have a payment arrangement in place.
The PNBF is a collaboration of banks in the Netherlands. It is the first way that victims themselves can hold the perpetrator accountable and can attempt to recover their money through the bank itself, without waiting for a police investigation.
Half of the people who have done this have either received a full refund or have a payment arrangement in place. Every bank now has a web page where it is possible to request the procedure.
Hold the offender accountable
Gijs van der Linden, team leader at the police’s National Internet Fraud Reporting Center: ‘In the case of WhatsApp fraud, the victim can initiate the procedure immediately after the first report. The police are only indirectly involved in this.”
“The first step is to file a report,” says Van der Linden. “The PNBF is intended only for victims. This gives them an opportunity to hold the perpetrator accountable.”
Both Van der Linden and Van der Rest indicate that the procedure can only be initiated if both the perpetrator’s and the victim’s account numbers are Dutch. And if you can really prove what happened to you is a fraud. Van der Linden: “Banks cannot be involved in other disputes.”
Zo pak je WhatsApp-fraude aan
- Doe aangifte.
- Vraag de procedure niet-bancaire fraude aan bij je bank. Bij iedere bank kun je fraude melden, en via die pagina kun je de procedure aanvragen. Deze staat vaak onder het kopje ‘veilig bankieren’ of ‘online fraude melden’.
- Je bank stuurt een terugstortverzoek naar de rekeninghouder waaraan je het geld heb overgemaakt.
- Geen geld terug? Dan krijg je naam, adres en woonplaats van de rekeninghouder.
- Je stuurt de aangifte en de gegevens van de rekeninghouder naar de deurwaarder.
- De deurwaarder start een incassoprocedure en vordert het geldbedrag terug.
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