Dutch cops warn 100 alleged scammers: Turn yourselves in or we tell Grandma
(2026/03/09)
- Reference: 1773061708
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/03/09/dutch_police_fraud_shaming/
- Source link:
Dutch national police are taking a novel stand against scammers - 100 suspects now have less than two weeks to hand themselves in or face public shaming.
The Politie's "Game Over?!" campaign will play out on the streets of the Netherlands and on Dutch TV, with the suspects' faces forming a collage of shame displayed to the public.
Starting today, the collage of 100 blurred faces will be shown across roadside advertising boards, TV, and online ads. If they don't hand themselves in to the authorities by March 19, their faces will be unblurred as of March 23.
[1]
Politie's 'Game Over?!' campaign poster with suspects' faces blurred
The idea behind "Game Over?!" is two-pronged. The Politie is trying to identify the 100 individuals it suspects of wrongdoing, relying on public shaming to force their hand, while also preventing potential future offenders who are "often young people who are lured into this for a small sum of money."
"We hope that ultimately, no one will be tempted to act as errand boys for these organizations, thus putting an end to the phenomenon of fake police officers and fake bank employees," [2]said Anne Jan Oosterheert, portfolio holder for digital crime at the Politie.
[3]
"These nasty forms of fraud have now become a social problem that can also be solved in collaboration with society."
[4]
[5]
Not mincing words, the Politie said "Game Over?!" can be viewed as a public attack on scammers, launched by the police and the judiciary. [6]Dutch directness at its finest.
Announcing the launch, the police said the number of swindles involving fake police officers rose to more than 13,000 in 2025.
[7]
Fake police officer cons exploded in the Netherlands over the past two years. From just 520 reported cases in 2023, the number rocketed up to 8,363 the following year, according to police figures shared with Dutch news site [8]NU.nl .
[9]Cops back Dutch telco Odido after second wave of ShinyHunters leaks
[10]Dutch cops arrest man after sending him confidential files by mistake
[11]Dutch cops cuff alleged AVCheck malware kingpin in Amsterdam
[12]Court tosses appeal by hacker who opened port to coke smugglers with malware
These scams typically target vulnerable elderly people and involve fraudsters impersonating police officers, knocking on victims' doors, and offering to safeguard their valuables.
One [13]tragic instance in August 2025 saw an 80-year-old woman killed as part of a fake police officer robbery-cum-home invasion, which police believe to be the first crime of this kind to involve [14]violence .
The Politie also said the number of [15]banking helpdesk fraud cases is another major cause for concern, with the volume far exceeding those of the fake police officer thefts.
These shakedowns have been operating for years, and also typically target older and/or vulnerable individuals. Fraudsters call folk perporting to be from their banking provider, and socially engineer the conversation to get the victim to surrender enough details to take over their account, or authorize a payment to the attacker's own account.
[16]
The police said that among scammers, there is much talk of an "F-Game," short for fraud game, but added that "Game Over?!" is trying to reinforce the idea that it is anything but.
Scams lead to disastrous consequences for victims and lost trust in public institutions, like the police itself.
Moreover, many people never report their victimhood out of shame, although this new campaign aims to flip that dynamic on its head. ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://regmedia.co.uk/2026/03/09/politie_game_over_campaign_poster1.jpg
[2] https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2026/maart/9/game-over-voor-100-nepagenten-pasophalers-en-helpdeskfraudeurs.html
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aa78tdK9V89-5MGiRDSzswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aa78tdK9V89-5MGiRDSzswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aa78tdK9V89-5MGiRDSzswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.bbc.co.uk/travel/article/20180131-where-dutch-directness-comes-from
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aa78tdK9V89-5MGiRDSzswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.nu.nl/binnenland/6377035/dit-jaar-al-500-nepagenten-aangehouden-en-ruim-10000-incidenten-geregistreerd.html
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/27/odido_shinyhunters_leaks/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/dutch_cops_breach/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/13/avcheck_arrest/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/13/dutch_port_hacker_appeal/
[13] https://www.nu.nl/binnenland/6373595/omgebrachte-vrouw-80-in-amsterdam-vermoedelijk-slachtoffer-van-nepagenten.html
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/04/cybercriminals_increasingly_rely_on_violence/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/15/the_latest_scam_pay_yourself/
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aa78tdK9V89-5MGiRDSzswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The Politie's "Game Over?!" campaign will play out on the streets of the Netherlands and on Dutch TV, with the suspects' faces forming a collage of shame displayed to the public.
Starting today, the collage of 100 blurred faces will be shown across roadside advertising boards, TV, and online ads. If they don't hand themselves in to the authorities by March 19, their faces will be unblurred as of March 23.
[1]
Politie's 'Game Over?!' campaign poster with suspects' faces blurred
The idea behind "Game Over?!" is two-pronged. The Politie is trying to identify the 100 individuals it suspects of wrongdoing, relying on public shaming to force their hand, while also preventing potential future offenders who are "often young people who are lured into this for a small sum of money."
"We hope that ultimately, no one will be tempted to act as errand boys for these organizations, thus putting an end to the phenomenon of fake police officers and fake bank employees," [2]said Anne Jan Oosterheert, portfolio holder for digital crime at the Politie.
[3]
"These nasty forms of fraud have now become a social problem that can also be solved in collaboration with society."
[4]
[5]
Not mincing words, the Politie said "Game Over?!" can be viewed as a public attack on scammers, launched by the police and the judiciary. [6]Dutch directness at its finest.
Announcing the launch, the police said the number of swindles involving fake police officers rose to more than 13,000 in 2025.
[7]
Fake police officer cons exploded in the Netherlands over the past two years. From just 520 reported cases in 2023, the number rocketed up to 8,363 the following year, according to police figures shared with Dutch news site [8]NU.nl .
[9]Cops back Dutch telco Odido after second wave of ShinyHunters leaks
[10]Dutch cops arrest man after sending him confidential files by mistake
[11]Dutch cops cuff alleged AVCheck malware kingpin in Amsterdam
[12]Court tosses appeal by hacker who opened port to coke smugglers with malware
These scams typically target vulnerable elderly people and involve fraudsters impersonating police officers, knocking on victims' doors, and offering to safeguard their valuables.
One [13]tragic instance in August 2025 saw an 80-year-old woman killed as part of a fake police officer robbery-cum-home invasion, which police believe to be the first crime of this kind to involve [14]violence .
The Politie also said the number of [15]banking helpdesk fraud cases is another major cause for concern, with the volume far exceeding those of the fake police officer thefts.
These shakedowns have been operating for years, and also typically target older and/or vulnerable individuals. Fraudsters call folk perporting to be from their banking provider, and socially engineer the conversation to get the victim to surrender enough details to take over their account, or authorize a payment to the attacker's own account.
[16]
The police said that among scammers, there is much talk of an "F-Game," short for fraud game, but added that "Game Over?!" is trying to reinforce the idea that it is anything but.
Scams lead to disastrous consequences for victims and lost trust in public institutions, like the police itself.
Moreover, many people never report their victimhood out of shame, although this new campaign aims to flip that dynamic on its head. ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://regmedia.co.uk/2026/03/09/politie_game_over_campaign_poster1.jpg
[2] https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2026/maart/9/game-over-voor-100-nepagenten-pasophalers-en-helpdeskfraudeurs.html
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aa78tdK9V89-5MGiRDSzswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aa78tdK9V89-5MGiRDSzswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aa78tdK9V89-5MGiRDSzswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.bbc.co.uk/travel/article/20180131-where-dutch-directness-comes-from
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aa78tdK9V89-5MGiRDSzswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.nu.nl/binnenland/6377035/dit-jaar-al-500-nepagenten-aangehouden-en-ruim-10000-incidenten-geregistreerd.html
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/27/odido_shinyhunters_leaks/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/dutch_cops_breach/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/13/avcheck_arrest/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/13/dutch_port_hacker_appeal/
[13] https://www.nu.nl/binnenland/6373595/omgebrachte-vrouw-80-in-amsterdam-vermoedelijk-slachtoffer-van-nepagenten.html
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/04/cybercriminals_increasingly_rely_on_violence/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/15/the_latest_scam_pay_yourself/
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aa78tdK9V89-5MGiRDSzswAAAME&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Doctor Syntax
All the more reason to hand themselves in.
There's a lot to be said
Guy de Loimbard
For invoking societal convention.
A lot of these operators carry out these shitty scams, as they believe they will not be caught, but a huge angle on this as the Politie have pointed out, is the fact that they don't expect to be identified.
Shame is a good motivator, assuming one has been brought up in a society with a reasonable moral compass, covering what it believes to be right, or wrong.
I'm sure a wager would come up trumps betting that those societal norms don't cover ripping off your elderly neighbours, or cover off robbing your own grandmother.
Be interesting to see what comes of this deadline from the Nederlandse Politie.
I'm Getting A Idea & We All Know How Dangerous That Can Be
The Oncoming Scorn
Each day unblur one picture at random, shades of Monty Python "Blackmail".
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRb62dcrJbgFAwXvqG3ih2RXSS7FfPFdF9mTA&s
Re: I'm Getting A Idea & We All Know How Dangerous That Can Be
Doctor Syntax
A better move, after a few days, would be to start blocking out one or two of the blurs, allegedly because people have started handing themselves in.
How were the photos obtained by the police?
Long John Silver
Did the scammers leave calling card with pictures of their faces?
Re: How were the photos obtained by the police?
Doctor Syntax
Doorbell cameras or other forms of CCTV.
I hope the Politie are successful, but I do wonder whether publicising the actual images of suspects might tempt others to take matters into their own hands and mete out summary 'justice' of a more percussive kind, before the folks in blue uniforms can intervene.