Dutch police have arrested 502 suspects this year for posing as officers in order to  steal valuables, four times the number in 2023, according to figures shared with news website Nu.nl. Over 10,000 incidents involving fake officers have been registered so far in 2025.

The phenomenon was rare until 2023 but there has since been a sharp increase in both reported incidents and arrests, Nu.nl said. This year’s arrests involve people who turned up at victims’ homes as well as those working from call centres. In 2024 there were 357 arrests, compared with just 127 in 2023.

Police say the high number of arrests reflects the “exponential rise” in cases but also targeted investigations.

The criminals almost always follow the same pattern. They call victims to say there has been a spate of break-ins in the area and offer to collect valuables to keep them “safe”. The aim is to keep the time between the call and the home visit as short as possible so victims do not have the chance to seek advice or reconsider handing over items.

Police spokeswoman Suzanne van de Graaf told Nu.nl the criminals operate in groups. Once someone calls from a call centre, an accomplice quickly arrives at the victim’s door.

Police have recorded 10,631 incidents so far this year, including both successful and attempted thefts. That is 20 times the number in 2023, when just 520 cases were logged.

Van de Graaf said the rise appears to be driven by copycat behaviour and that there is not one large network behind the cases. The increase may also reflect greater public awareness and reporting, she said.

Meanwhile, a pro forma court hearing will take place on Wednesday in the case of an 80-year-old woman who died in Amsterdam after being robbed by a fake officer in August. Two men from the city, aged 21 and 23, are suspects.

Van de Graaf said this is the first known case involving violence.

She stressed that real police officers never collect valuables in this way and urged anyone who doubts an officer’s identity to call 112 immediately.