The past three years have seen an explosion of fake police officers attempting to steal valuables from elderly members of Dutch society.
So far this year, the police have arrested 502 suspected fake cops, four times as many as in 2023. The number of registered incidents increased twentyfold, NU.nl reported based on figures provided by the police.
The arrests this year include fake police officers who showed up at victims’ doors, but also people who participated in the scams by posing as call center workers, for example. In 2024, there were 357 arrests, and the year before, only 127.
The number of incidents involving fake cops increased even more. Up to and including October, the police registered 10,631 incidents this year, involving both successful and unsuccessful scams. In 2024, there were 8,363 registered incidents, and in 2023, only 520.
According to the police, the many arrests and incidents are due to the “exponential increase” of the fake cop scam, but also because of targeted investigations and more attention to this type of scam.
The criminals almost always use the same method. They call their victim, almost always an elderly person, and tell them that many burglaries are happening in the neighborhood. The fake cops then offer to collect and “secure” the victim’s valuables to prevent them from being burgled.
The criminals work in groups, police spokesperson Suzanne van de Graaf told the newspaper. “You can’t do this on your own.” The victim receives the call, and the fake cup shows up minutes later. “They try to keep the time between the call and the visit as short as possible, so people don’t have time to warn others or develop doubts.”
So far, there has been one case in which a fake cop scam turned fatal. Two Amsterdam men, aged 21 and 23, are suspected of killing an 80-year-old woman in the Dutch capital in August while posing as cops and trying to rob her. The first preliminary hearing in the case against them is scheduled for Wednesday.
“As far as we know, this is the first time violence was used,” Van de Graaf said. Violence is typically not part of the scam. But she stressed that the scam has psychological consequences, especially for the typically elderly victims. “Some no longer dare to open the door or even go out, and become socially isolated.”
