Stay Alert – Scams

Many people in Netherlands, especially Indian Community is being targeted with fake / fraudulent scam calls / phishing e-mails using name and spoofed called ID of Ministry of Justice & Security /IND / Police/
/ Embassy / Fake Job offers etc. We have also added 2 such instances of fake calls at the end of this post. 
It is advised to be vigilant and to ignore these unusual requests, especially when caller is requesting personal/ financial information or asking for money.
When in doubt of fraud call/ phishing e-mail / caller’s identity, recipient of such calls, please use the below checklist to deal with the situation.
  Ask more questions instead of answering the call – If you receive a call from unknown person or authority please ask the caller’s full name/ Police badge numbers/ Organizational titles and the general telephone number of the organization.
 Never trust Strangers (Government/Authority) – Verify general number of the organization and report the call to the organization to confirm the authenticity of the calls received.
 Never get hypnotised or carried away– Always Disconnect call after speaking 1 -2 minutes. Always say I will call back in sometime.
  Fake Calls – Discourage any calls coming with unidentified caller IDs / Private Numbers etc. Use third party apps in smart phones to get heads up on known fake numbers.
 DO NOT give any sensitive information – Never agree to verify or share information  like BSN number, Credit card information or Date of birth by phone or by e-mail to anyone.
 Never Pay money immediately to anyone (Government/Authority) especially due to phone or email request – None of the Government agencies ask you to pay anything immediately or via Gift cards or coupons like Apple Gift card, Amazon voucher etc. Many scammers demand penalty payment promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer or money pack cards.
 Payment in Netherlands – All Government fee / penalties can be paid upon the receipt of official voucher with invoice number (factuur nummer) by paper ( sent by post) hence never pay or transfer money on request by phone/email
 Be aware of criminal callers – Don’t be surprised if some scammers may be able to declaim the last few digits or full number of a victim’s BSN Number or the visa / phone number / credit card / DOB etc. because these are available in some public domain.
 Do not get Threatened – To give a feeling of reality to victim, there are reports of tricks that some scammer used by hanging up the threatening victims with huge penalty / Jail time /Immediate deportation/ Immediate visit by police to house etc.
while another scammer calls back soon pretending to be from the local police with spoofed caller ID to make it genuine.
 Do not dance to the tunes of the caller – Scammers threaten the victim by constantly maintaining pressure and not allowing to speak or disconnect the call. Not allowing you to disconnect the call or asking you not to inform your employer are clear signs of a fraud.
 Do not get intimidated – Do not Observe the tone and behaviour of scammer as the call progress. If the victim refuses to cooperate, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. Remember, a Government agency / Embassy will never insult anyone for not paying a penalty immediately.
 Please do not panic– There are many defined procedures and steps to be executed before someone can be deported and hence associates should not panic by hearing the same. There are reports of panicking you with criminal records background clearance back in India
or any other country. You have not done anything wrong
 Don’t have fear of judgement and Always inform and consult friend, family and colleagues – You are in a valid status in the country after all the verification hence if in any doubt ensure to consult friends, family or colleagues.
If you are confronted with this scam as IND, please report it directly to the IND. Call 088 04 30470 or email meldpunt@ind.nl
In addition, we recommend you do to report it to the police by calling +31 – 34 357 8844 if you are abroad at the time of incident or call 0900-8844 within Netherlands after submitting a deceleration at https://www.politie.nl/aangifte-of-melding-doen for faster processing.

Recorded instances 

OFBJP (Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata Party) Netherlands request you to consider taking this communication seriously, share within your circle and be cautious to stay safe. We are happy to assist you as well in case of any assistance / clarification needed and feel free to contact us at  https://ofbjpnetherlands.org/contact/

Wishes you a wonderful and safe stay in Netherlands.