Police in the Netherlands have arrested two men suspected of running a new kind of bank scam that used AI-generated phone calls to drain about €380,000 (approximately $423,114) from 170 victims in just three weeks.
The Rotterdam police cybercrime team says the men, a 23-year-old from Vaassen and a 25-year-old from Ede, were taken into custody on October 6th.
Police say the 23-year-old is suspected of building the technology behind the fraud and directing others in the group, while the 25-year-old is suspected of coordinating the operation.
Victims got a phone call with a recorded message warning of suspicious activity on their bank account.
The scammers allegedly used AI to make dozens of recordings with different voices, banks, companies and scenarios.
Victims who pressed 1 were connected to a fake bank employee, who followed a script and pushed them to act fast to block their bank card.
They were told to download an app and hold their bank card against their phone.
Police say the app sent data from the card’s contactless chip to an app used by an accomplice waiting at an ATM or payment terminal, who could then withdraw thousands of euros without the victim knowing.
Victims came from all over the Netherlands and ranged in age, including dozens in their twenties and thirties.
The investigation began in mid-September, when Dutch banks flagged the new method through the Electronic Crimes Task Force, a partnership of banks, police and prosecutors.
Police have taken the servers behind the scheme offline and seized the suspects’ phones and laptops.
A Rotterdam court ruled on October 20th that both men must stay in custody for at least another 90 days while the case moves forward.
Says Ruben van Well of the Rotterdam cybercrime team, in remarks translated from Dutch,
“No more scammer at the door, but a convincing caller who comes across as incredibly professional. We had not come across that technical method before…
Your bank will never ask you to download an app, hold your bank card against your phone or give your PIN code. Be alert and hang up if the conversation doesn’t feel right.”
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