The criminal court in Veurne, West Flanders, has sentenced a 25-year-old man from Schaerbeek to two years in prison for computer fraud, money laundering and participation in a criminal gang.
The suspect had posed as a Card Stop employee and swindled five victims out of more than €11,000.
The case began after a man in his sixties from Rebecq reported the fraud to the Westkust police on 19 August 2023.
He had received a phone call in De Panne the previous day from someone pretending to work for Card Stop. Claiming there had been suspicious transactions, the caller persuaded the victim to grant access to his bank account. More than €2,500 was then spent online at Krëfel and Coolblue.
Investigators traced the IP addresses used in the fraud to an Internet subscription at a home in Schaerbeek.
During a search of the property on 27 August 2024, police found many mobile phones, payment terminals and bank cards. An examination of the suspect’s phone showed that Badreddine E. had sent spam messages on a large scale and had made many suspicious online purchases.
When questioned, he claimed he had given unknown individuals access to his phone through TeamViewer. However, data from his smartphone and laptop showed that he had in fact used the application himself to take control of other laptops.
Further investigation linked the defendant to five similar offences.
In January 2024, a woman from Kraainem was defrauded of more than €4,800. In April 2024, victims in Wanze, Grimbergen and Burg-Reuland in the German-speaking part of Belgium were also swindled.
Investigators found that E. had used some of the proceeds to buy vouchers, which he then sent to his mother.
The defence pointed to the defendant’s clean criminal record and asked the court to impose community service instead of a prison sentence. The court rejected that request.
Badreddine E. was ordered to serve a two-year prison term and to forfeit more than €11,500. He must also pay a €2,000 fine and €1,675 in damages.
His mother was granted a suspended sentence for her role in the money-laundering operation.
