By Helene Gottschalk, AAU Communikation and Public Affairs
Photo: Colourbox

It is an 81-year-old who is the typical victim of bank bid fraud. She is contacted by a so-called "caller" who pretends to be from her bank. He has a lot of information about her; Social security numbers, bank accounts, etc., so she thinks he is who he claims to be.

After the phone conversation, he or someone else shows up at her address, and he typically gets both cash and a debit card with him. The cards are immediately used to withdraw cash from a nearby ATM, and the 81-year-old woman may not discover that she has been scammed until later in the day or the next day.

The crime form "bank messenger fraud" is on the rise - around 200 Danes every month become victims of the fake bank messengers.

A new study from Aalborg University uncovers how the fraud takes place and reveals professional criminals with clear roles.

"These are not random crimes committed by desperate individuals. We see highly organised, profit-oriented networks with a clear division of roles and systematic working methods," explains Freja Hvilsom Andersen, who is one of the two Master's thesis students behind the study.

The study reveals a hierarchical structure with four different roles:

• External actors providing stolen personal data
• Ringleaders who control and administer the operations
• Callers who call and manipulate the victims
• Bank couriers who collect valuables and withdraw cash

The typical bank delivery man is a 28-year-old man with a criminal history and active substance abuse, while the ringleaders often remain in the shadows.

81-year-old women are the primary target

The study shows a clear pattern in the choice of victims: 90 percent are women with an average age of 81 years. She will typically be called Inge, Else, Ellen, Åse, Herdis, Grete, Gerda or Ruth.  The "obvious victim" is at home during the day, has cash at home and shows a high degree of trust in authority.

"The fraudsters buy packages of personal information - so-called 'fullz' - and target their victims. They know exactly who they are calling and how to manipulate them," explains Julie Malene Thomsen

All those involved in the operation are thoroughly trained in their function, and this involves, among other things, training in manipulation techniques.

Extensive financial losses

The investigation has unraveled seven criminal bank bidding networks across the country. The seven networks alone are responsible for fraud amounting to DKK 5.6 million. 

The average financial loss per victim is DKK 33,756, while the networks earn an average of DKK 60,330 per "working day". 

The researchers warn that the real extent of this form of crime may be far greater than the official figures show. Many elderly people do not report the scam because of shame and self-blame. 

"There is a great shame associated with being cheated.  Many older people turn the criticism inwards. This means that we do not know the full extent of the problem," explains Julie Malene Thomsen.

The fact that bank bid fraud affects the elderly negatively is also something Ældre Sagen finds problematic. 

"In the Elderly Case, we are very concerned about what this type of cross-border crime does to both the victims and the trust in our society. Roughly speaking, the bank robberies have moved into the living rooms, and the victims are exposed to a manipulative and cunning organized crime. The criminals leave them with the worry of the financial loss, but unfortunately also with a great loss of trust in other people," says Louise Kambjerre Scheel, lawyer and senior consultant in the Department of Social Analysis at the Elderly Case.

Basis for prevention

The study points to concrete prevention options:

You can adjust the withdrawal limits that are currently in place in the banks, and you can make targeted information campaigns through the right channels. 

And then it is important to avoid so-called "victim blaming", where the elderly feel that they are the ones who have made a mistake by believing the person who has contacted them.

The research is based on court documents from seven criminal networks as well as expert interviews with Danish banks and the police's intelligence and analysis units.