The Openbaar Ministerie (OM) has demanded against a 35-year-old man from Heerenveen a 3-year prison sentence and repayment of the unlawful benefit of €318,050.63. He is accused of making a major contribution to bank helpdesk fraud with potentially many duped people worldwide by dealing in digital lists of personal data, so-called leads.
This is one of many forms of cybercrime in which having lists of phone numbers and other personal information is essential. Cybercriminals as suspects are essential in this regard.
In 2020 in Friesland, a group of suspects allegedly engaged in a form of phishing, in which victims receive a text message containing a link. When clicked, you are directed to a fake Internet page, which closely resembles the real site of a bank, for example.
The login information that victims enter on that website ends up with fraudsters. To commit those acts, they must have access to large amounts of personal data such as lists of phone numbers, e-mail addresses, places of residence, incomes and interests. These leads are traded over the Internet. The name of "Han Solo" pops up in the investigation, selling leads through Telegram. On Feb. 25, 2021, the Cyber Crime Team North Netherlands will launch an investigation into this Han Solo, aka jedihans. A name that comes up in several cybercrime investigations. The impression is that Han Solo provides leads on a large scale throughout the Netherlands; an impression that is increasingly confirmed in the course of the investigation.
"His only incentive is monetary gain, and who does what with the data he provides: he doesn't seem to care."
Indeed, this Han Solo appears to be a major, perhaps the largest player in the online leads market on a national scale. The investigation reveals that a 35-year-old Heerenvener is behind the name. He was arrested on June 29, 2021. The prosecutor: "His only motive is monetary gain and who does what with the data he provided: he does not seem to care. Elderly people who fall victim to bank helpdesk fraud, people who fall into a WhatsApp fraud and lose a lot of money? It doesn't bother him. The suffering co-caused by the defendant and made possible by his actions cannot and should not be underestimated. It must be noted that he does not take any responsibility for his actions."
It follows from the investigation that the suspect allowed himself to be paid in gift cards from bol.com and Bitcoin, among other things. The value in his wallet at the time of seizure on November 21, 2021 was €190,000.
"For €100 you get ten thousand phone numbers; so your and my number are worth one euro cent. That also means that trading leads is only really lucrative for the big players, for players like suspect."
This case does not stand alone. The total damage from online fraud in the Netherlands in 2021 was a sloppy €62.5 million, up more than 20% from the previous year. The main culprit: bank help desk fraud, which requires lists of phone numbers and other personal data. What is striking is the amount of data being trafficked. Especially striking is the file found at suspect with a quarter of a billion in user data from the United States, as well as what type of data is involved.
The prosecutor commented, "There are 'personal interests' being traded, and that just highlights how vulnerable each of us is. After all, it could be ideological interests, religious beliefs or sexual preferences. The interest in keeping such data private is, of course, great and stands in stark contrast to its trading value. For €100 you get ten thousand phone numbers; so your number and mine are worth one euro cent. This also means that trading leads is only really lucrative for the big players, for players like the accused. The proven facts should therefore be punished with a hefty prison sentence."
What can people do themselves?
Many forms of cybercrime are preventable. Shield your identity well on social media, do not spread data (address, BSN number, bank account) on photos that are useful to criminals, do not click on links (just like that). Do not respond to requests from relative strangers, not even digitally. If something is too good to be true, it usually is. To combat cybercrime, prosecutors and police also work with private partners. A lot of information can be found at om.nl and politie.nl, but also at veiliginternetten.nl, sites of banks and assistance institutions, and at hotlines such as the fraud helpdesk, the Chamber of Commerce and industry associations.
