Rotterdam police arrested two men over a phishing gang that used AI-generated voices and a fake bank app to steal nearly €400,000
Rotterdam police said a gang ran a phishing scam with a bogus bank helpdesk, using AI-generated voices to read out messages that steered victims to a fake helpdesk. Victims were then told to install an app that read the NFC chip on their bank card. The scam stole nearly €400,000 from 170 victims across the country. Two men, aged 23 and 25, were arrested on October 4, and a magistrate extended their detention for 90 days; police seized cryptocurrency and took the app and server offline.
What the AI did
The fraudsters used AI-generated voices to read out phone messages that pretended to come from a bank helpdesk and steered victims to a fake helpdesk. It has not been reported which AI tool was used.
First reported October 22, 2026 · Added to the register November 1, 2026 · 1 source
- Amount stolen
- Nearly €400,000
- Number of victims
- 170
- Deployer
- Phishing gang run by two men from Vaassen and Ede (alleged)
- Affected
- Bank customers aged twenties to eighties, nationwide
- Country
- Netherlands
- When it happened
- Not stated in the sources
- First reported
- October 22, 2026
What this means for you
Could this affect you?
If you are a bank or handle bank customer calls. Bank customers across the Netherlands, aged from their twenties to their eighties, received the fake helpdesk calls, and 170 of them lost nearly €400,000.
What to check
- Remind customers that your bank never asks them to install an app during a call.
- Remind customers that your bank never asks them to tap their card to their phone during a call.
- Flag automated voice messages that tell customers to press a key to reach a 'helpdesk'.
Areas of your AI programme this touches
Timeline
- October 4, 2026Ended
- October 22, 2026First reported
Every fact and its source (4)
- ArrestsOctober 4“a 25-year-old man from Ede, on October 4”[1]
- AI useAI-generated voices read out scam messages“The fraudsters made the scam more plausible by using AI-generated voices to read out messages”[1]
- Court actionDetention extended for 90 days“a magistrate extended their detention for 90 days”[1]
- Police responseCrypto seized; fake app and server taken offline“Police confiscated hundreds of thousands of euros in cryptocurrency following the arrests and took the fake app and server offline.”[1]
Sources
- Rotterdam police arrest AI scammers over €400k theftsdutchnews.nl · October 22, 2026
How this record is classified. Severity M (4/5): harm to individuals, or a policy breach with limited reach. OECD level: incident, an event in which an AI system led to actual harm. Evidence: Confirmed, meaning a company, official or court statement.
The facts in At a glance and in Every fact and its source are quoted from the sources listed. The summary, What the AI did and What this means for you are written from those sources and checked against them automatically before publication. Records reflect what has been disclosed, not everything that has happened. Incidents are found through news feeds and the GDELT Project.
