IND warns of phone scams

Only recently we wrote about an avalanche of phishing emails sent by scammers posing as representatives of the Chamber of Commerce (KVK - Kamer van Koophandel). And earlier we told about fraudsters acting on behalf of the tax office (Belastingdienst). And now the migration service (IND) warns against telephone fraud. The goal of all scammers is the same - to deceive personal data in order to obtain illegal financial benefits in the future. But the actions differ in nuances.

Scam calls disguised as IND employees

Phone number spoofing (Caller ID Spoofing) - This is a type of fraud, which consists in substituting a number. The subscriber sees a number on the screen of his phone, which can even be signed in the phone book. For example, "Migration Service". Scammers rely on trust and respect for the caller, as well as on a quick, thoughtless reaction.

How to protect yourself from phone scams?

A few simple rules will help with this:

1. IND never calls people - it's people who contact the Call Center by dialing the appropriate number. If you see the Customer Call Center number on your phone screen, it's a scammer!
2. Migration officers never call with a request to transfer money.
3. Employees of the migration service do not use an authoritative, aggressive tone when talking on the phone.

What to do if you become a victim of phone scams?

Do you doubt the intentions of the person who is talking to you on the phone and are not sure that this is an IND employee? Contact the IND Call Center yourself on +31 88 043 0430. If you have already given some personal data to scammers, report it to the police.