A scam in which the victim is contacted by telephone by someone posing as a member of the European Community, the National Bank or the Federal Service of Finance has grown in recent years, the prosecutor's office in Brussels warned on Friday. The scam begins when a caller explains to his interlocutor that he will be compensated following the creation of a plan by the government to compensate victims of telephone harassment.
The perpetrator makes the victim believe that they have to transfer their bank PIN code to get compensation. Once the code has been obtained, the author then transfers the victim’s money to a UK-based online payment platform, where he recovers the cash.
Targeted people are usually old and/or alone adds the court. About 100 files are currently being processed in the district of Brussels. In total, around 450 such files have been opened in French-speaking Belgium.
Banking and telephone inquiries all point to Tunisia, the country from where the scams are committed.
The Brussels Times
