Marketplace scammer gets nine months in prison

A 37-year-old man from Geldrop has been convicted of fraud by the court in East Brabant. He defrauded nine people via Marktplaats, placing advertisements under a false name and never delivering the goods. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, 9 of which were suspended.

The judge has also obliged the convicted scammer to compensate the damage suffered by the victims of Marktplaats visitors. The scammer also actively sought contact with the buyers, who indicate on the website that they are looking for certain products.

The judgment reads that the judge strongly blames the scammer for abusing the trust that the buyers had placed in him. Moreover, the judge finds that the convicted person’s actions have harmed confidence in internet trade in general. In addition, it was taken into account in the judgment that the fraudster had already been convicted of various frauds in 2014 and 2016. During the trial, the scammer has shown that he understands the suffering of the victims, showing remorse. This is factored into the final punishment in favor of the scammer.

The public prosecutor had demanded eighteen months in prison, of which six months were conditional. The judge has largely accepted this requirement, including the required probation period of three years.

In total, it was about nine hundred euros that the scammer received from nine Marktplaats users. In doing so, he used various false names in the advertisements, which mainly offered car and motorcycle parts, and a telephone.

Some victims had also claimed compensation for non-material damage through the public prosecutor, but the judge did not agree. According to the court, there is at most some psychological discomfort or a feeling of hurt, and that is insufficient for such compensation.