Police warn after notable scam: 'Be careful and seek advice from your bank'

Commissioner Olivier Bogart wants to warn everyone about this and cites an example. It's about a woman named Francine, who made an offer to buy a sofa on a used stand.

She quickly received a response, although she did not know she was dealing with a scammer. “She received a letter from Simon, a Belgian student who is doing an internship at a company in Great Britain. He showed great interest in the sofa, asked Francine to put it away for him, and also said that his parents would come over to collect the sofa.”

The young man asked for her account number and transferred an amount to her. Only it was priced at 1,480 euros, instead of the asking price of 480 euros. Then he called the woman again; The accountant at the company he is training for allegedly made a mistake.

Transfer via bank

“He asked her to return the money via an account number he provided. 'Please quickly, otherwise she will be in trouble,' he added. Francine made the transfer immediately. But a few days later the money also disappeared. €480 from her account.”

Her bank told her that the original amount transferred was from a British check that had been disputed as stolen. “In addition, Francine lost her €1,000 refund, and Simon no longer showed any signs of life. She therefore decided to file a complaint.”

Ask your bank for advice

“The investigation shows that her amount disappeared from the account she deposited it in. Since then, it was transferred from one account to another and was eventually withdrawn in Russia.”

The police therefore offer important advice: “If you are selling something and someone from Great Britain contacts you, be careful and do not hesitate to ask your bank for advice.”