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A recent court case has again highlighted the complex role of the so-called "money mule" in fraud cases. Geldezel argued a defense in the proceedings. What is a money mule? A money mule is someone who makes their bank account available to criminals to channel stolen money. This is often done under the guise of a lucrative side income or under pressure from the criminals. The money mule receives money in his account from a [...]
International fraud with fake websites, billing fraud, investment fraud and other scams where fraudsters elicit payment on an incorrect bank account number with victims living in other countries is unfortunately common. Our firm has handled dozens of such cases in recent years. In this blog, for victims who do not live in the Netherlands, we describe the options for recovering money if a Dutch bank account number is involved in the fraud. What types of [...]
Our firm is seeing a sharp increase in fraud using "screen sharing software" from Anydesk, Teamviewer and Screenleap and cryptowallets used to siphon off money. investment fraud This is a new form of investment fraud, which begins with arousing interest in complex investments (Forex, CFDs or cryptocurrencies). The criminal organization uses an investment website where the duped person creates an account. In reality, this is a boiler room; in fact, there are no real investments [...]
ABNAMRO Bank has just announced that it will also compensate customers for damage caused by spoofing fraud in specific cases of "gross negligence". Until now, this bank has been stricter in assessing fees requested than the other banks. In spoofing fraud, a scammer takes possession of a victim's bank balance by calling the bank's unique number, giving the scammer the confidence that it is a real bank employee who is calling. Spoofing is technically still [...]
A boiler room is a criminal organization that extorts money from people through fake investments. Boilerrooms disappear after a while and the loot is often hard to find after that. Method There is not one typical method for this criminal activity. Many boiler rooms approach their victims by telephone and persuade them to invest via a website. This website can give access to a (fake) account where the victim is led to believe that his [...]
When you think of a duty of care of banks, you think in the first place of the customers. But the duty of care can also relate to third parties. For example, a customer of the bank can be a swindler, who uses the checking account to receive deposits from victims, after which that money is funneled away. Can you sue the bank for the damage? Is the bank expected to monitor suspicious transactions from its own customers to protect non-customer third parties?
Suppose you are called to start investing and it seems like something to you. You look at the website and it looks good. You can start with a low amount and your investments will go well. You get a call again, and you're tempted to make some more. But you still have doubts, because the company is abroad and you wonder if it isn't too good to be true. How do you recognize whether you may be dealing with a "boiler room"? In this article we give 9 tips on how to spot an unreliable investment website. Investment fraud is common. It happens to both novice investors and experienced investors who embark on an adventure with CFDs (contracts for difference) and Forex products. These are our tips!
ING has been fined by the Public Prosecution Service because the bank does not act properly against money launderers. Criminals who transfer money through ING are not dealt with properly by the bank. There are many developments in the field of money laundering, mainly due to new technological possibilities. De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) not only supervises the stability, but – in keeping with the spirit of the times – also the integrity of the financial [...]
In scams, the perpetrator likes to stay out of the picture. Banks allow scammers to open a bank account with an unclear name so that the identity of the account holder is unclear. Can the bank account still be seized then, although in a court proceeding you have to know who the other party is?
Dutch entrepreneurs can set up a foreign legal entity such as the English "Limited" (Ltd.) with which they are only active in the Netherlands. Sometimes it concerns entrepreneurs with a history of fraud or bankruptcy, who - not for the first time - do not fulfill their obligations. What if you have money from such a limited and the company does not pay? Can you go to the Dutch court to file for bankruptcy or do you have to conduct expensive proceedings abroad?
We have received many positive responses to our article on tackling scammers dated April 2, 2016. Most of the responses came from people who have been victims of a scammer. We also received many questions about the legal means that a lawyer can use to recover the damage from a scammer. The article was about tackling scammers through civil courts. Words like “fraud” and “fraud” are not in the Civil Code. So what are the tools we use to recover money from a scammer in a lawsuit? In this article we give a look into our kitchen. This is how we work if we summon a scammer and arrange compensation for you.