72-Year-Old Woman Scammed out of Over €10,000 in Sint-Truiden

Sint-Truiden (Eurotoday Newspaper): On December 23, a 72-year-old woman in Sint-Truiden was scammed out of over €10,000 by fraudsters pretending to be from Card Stop. They tricked her into sharing personal information and installing software. Later, police arrested one suspect at an ATM. 

On December 23, police in Sint-Truiden, Gingelom, and Nieuwerkerken investigated a fraud case involving a 72-year-old woman. The scam started with a phone call from someone pretending to be from Card Stop, a service that helps block lost bank cards. The caller tricked her into sharing personal information and convinced her to install software on her computer. This gave the scammers access to her device.

How did scammers deceive a woman out of over €10,000?

The scammers sent another person to her house, pretending to be a worker. This person was likely trying to get more information, bank cards, or anything else needed for the scam. That woman lost her bank cards to a scammer, and later that day, a police officer in Tienen saw someone acting suspiciously at an ATM, trying to take out money with different cards. The police arrested this person and another suspect. One was taken to court and is now in jail, while the other was let go after being questioned.

Criminals used different tricks to gain her trust and deceive her. The police are now looking into the case and warning everyone to be careful. They remind people that real companies like Card Stop or banks will never ask for personal information or remote access to your devices. The woman lost more than 10,000 euros, but the police were able to recover some of it. They are warning people to be careful when getting calls from banks or other agencies, saying that real bank workers will never ask for personal codes or send someone to your home.