Fraud gang targets West Flemish coast
During the past week eleven cafés and eateries have fallen foul of a gang of fraudsters that uses compliments to distract waiters and waitress into giving them change on money they haven’t even paid. The police services at the coast suspect two woman and a man of involvement in the scam and add that they probably are part of a gang. All three suspects speak French and use distraction tactics to confuse their victims.
Ine Deburgraeve of the West Coast Local Police Service told VRT News that “They distract their victims by, for example complimenting them.
The victim then doesn’t realise that they haven’t been paid and give change when in reality they never received any money”.
The two women and a man that con the waiters and waitress often change their appearance. They dye their hair and the man trims his beard.
As well as in the Westkust police area, police in Middelkerke and Ostend have received reports of the same kind of fraudulent activity on their patch.