Dutch cops' shame game works wonders as most wanted scammers now turned in

"The country's "Game Over?!" campaign involved releasing the blurred images of fraudsters into the public domain and threatening to unmask them within two weeks if they did not turn themselves in. True to its word, after two weeks, the Dutch police unblurred the alleged offenders' faces via social media and advertising boards across the country, including at gas stations, shopping centers, and train stations."

"The result? Thirty-four handed themselves in, and revealing the remaining faces led to the identification of a further 40 individuals. The police said it received more than 500 tips from the public after it unblurred the faces. Its website was viewed more than two million times, and its campaign images were seen nearly 90 million times on social media."

"Of the 74 now known to the police, more than half (38) have been questioned, and the interrogations for the rest are already scheduled. Police have arrested six individuals so far, although they stated that this doesn't necessarily mean the arrests were directly for their alleged crimes. Arrests may take place when someone fails to appear for police questioning, for example, or if a suspect is linked to multiple offenses."

""This form of crime claims many victims. It has a huge impact on both the victims and society. The goal of Game Over?! is therefore to identify and prosecute the suspects. "With the identification of 74 suspects, this goal has been amply achieved, and so far, we can speak of a successful investigative offensive. We are very satisfied and grateful for all the help we have received from citizens.""

Dutch police ran the “Game Over?!” campaign to unmask alleged scammers who targeted elderly victims. Blurred images of fraudsters were released publicly, with a threat to unblur their faces within two weeks unless they turned themselves in. After the deadline, police unblurred the faces through social media and advertising boards at locations such as gas stations, shopping centers, and train stations. Thirty-four people handed themselves in, and identifying the remaining faces led to the identification of an additional 40 individuals. Police received more than 500 public tips, with the website viewed over two million times and campaign images seen nearly 90 million times on social media. Of 74 identified suspects, 38 have been questioned and the rest have scheduled interrogations, while six arrests have occurred for related or procedural reasons.

Read at theregister