Take that! Iconic 71-year-old Dutch woman sets trap for scammer

Ever gotten a suspicious phone call that makes you think “Echt?! Who would fall for that?” Well, one lady in Amsterdam wasn’t going to just hang up the phone and let this scammer get away with it. 

A 71-year-old woman from Jordaan answered a call on Monday afternoon that was quite obviously a scam, reports the NOS

A man impersonating a bank employee said she should place her debit card in an envelope and give it to his ‘colleague’ when he came to collect it that evening. Hmmm, fishy… 🤔

Time to go undercover

So, what did she do? The plucky woman said “Ja, zeker!” and went along with it. Meanwhile, she called the police. 💅

READ MORE | Scamming Dutch public transport with OVpay? It’s more possible than you think, experts say

By the time evening came, she was ready with some backup. A few police officers dressed in civilian clothes lay in wait in and around the woman’s house. 

The 20-year-old man went to pick up the ‘debit card’ at 8:30 PM and got a surprise he really wasn’t expecting from the elderly woman. 

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Our ‘she-ro’ handed over an envelope that the scammer thought held her debit card. What happened next? The hiding police sprung into action and the cheeky criminal was caught in the act. 

READ MORE | Dutch Quirk #100: Use the power of the “social police” (betutteling)

The suspect made one last-ditch effort to get away by pushing an officer to the ground. He didn’t get far, however, and was handcuffed.

While the woman didn’t place the handcuffs on him herself, we think it’s safe to say that this icon was integral in the arrest. 

Let this be a warning: Don’t. 👏 Mess. 👏 With. 👏 Sweet. 👏Old. 👏 Dutch. 👏 Women. 👏 

What would you have done if you got that scam call? Tell us in the comments!

Feature Image:Freepik
Simone Jacobs
Simone Jacobs
Originally from South Africa, Simone is having fun navigating the Dutch language, steep stairs, and bicycles (which she still manages to fall off of with her short, non-Dutch legs). An animal lover at heart, Simone can typically be found under her (growing?) mound of cats, where she uses the opportunity to read, write, and watch video compilations of creatures.

1 COMMENT

  1. Perhaps a better way to have dealt with it would be to invite the scammer in for a cup of tea laced with arsenic. “Here, drink this tea while I go look for my card”. Perhaps some Jonestown, Kool-Aid would also be nice to offer him.

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