{"id":1412,"date":"2021-07-28T16:42:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T14:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/?p=1412"},"modified":"2026-08-06T22:09:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T20:09:55","slug":"bank-helpdesk-impersonation-fraud-rises-sharply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/news\/bank-helpdesk-impersonation-fraud-rises-sharply\/","title":{"rendered":"Bank helpdesk impersonation fraud rises sharply"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite extensive attention to bank helpdesk impersonation fraud, also known as telephone spoofing(opens in new window)<\/span> <\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a>, from the media, banks and politicians, losses from this type of fraud continue to rise sharply, particularly among older people.<\/p>\n\n\n
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In 2020, total losses from bank helpdesk impersonation fraud amounted to almost \u20ac27 million. At the current rate, total losses could reach \u20ac40 million in 2021. Banks now receive around 300 reports each month. The average loss per victim can easily reach \u20ac10,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In bank helpdesk impersonation fraud, a fraudster calls while pretending to represent the victim’s bank. Sometimes the victim sees the bank’s genuine telephone number on their screen. As technical measures are increasingly preventing criminals from misusing banks’ real telephone numbers, fraudsters now usually call from a random, unknown number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fraudster poses as a bank employee and falsely tells the victim that their bank account is no longer secure. The victim may then be tricked into transferring their entire balance in one or more transactions to supposedly \u2018secure\u2019 it in a \u2018safe account\u2019. However, fraudsters are increasingly using other pretexts to steal large sums from their victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because losses are increasing and fraudsters are changing their methods, banks ran a collective public information campaign aimed at older people earlier this year. Banks also continue to warn customers through online and mobile banking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five spoofing myths quickly debunked<\/h2>\n\n\n\n