Recent research by the Rijksoverheid shows that the Dutch do not see the need to double secure e-mail. 4 in 10 (38%) do not consider their own e-mail of interest to criminals and only a quarter (25%) set up two-step verification on e-mail. Access to a mailbox is attractive to a criminal because they can log in your name to online services and commit identity fraud. The Rijksoverheid wants to make all Dutch people aware of the importance of double securing your e-mail. Dutch people are therefore urged to set up a double lock.
Half of users (51%) assume that their password is sufficient to secure their e-mail. However, due to data theft , passwords are increasingly getting into the wrong hands.
Koen Sandbrink, cybercrime strategic advisor at the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC): "In over 3/4 of all online crime, a stolen password is misused. Setting up two-step verification, or double lock, offers protection against this abuse."
Many Dutch people underestimate what a criminal can do with access to their e-mail. For example, the majority of users (61%) do not know that a criminal with access to a personal mailbox can log into linked online services. Also, many users (49%) are unaware that a criminal can change passwords of accounts at linked services. This allows these criminals to place orders, for example, resulting in financial losses. Furthermore, a criminal can steal sensitive personal information, commit identity fraud or try to extort you or others. Two-step verification offers protection against this.
With the multi-year campaign 'Double secure is double as safe' the Rijksoverheid wants to emphasize the
importance of setting up two-step verification or 'Two-Factor Authentication', abbreviated 2FA. 2FA means that after entering a username and password you have to confirm in another way that the (email) account is yours. This can be done by entering a security code you receive via a text message or an authenticator app. Want to know how to better protect yourself with 2FA? Then go to veiliginternetten.nl/what-tweestapsverificatie/.
The survey "Use of 2FA in the Netherlands" was conducted in October 2025 by Motivaction on behalf of the Rijksoverheid. The representative sample consists of 1,048 respondents aged 18 and older and 822 respondents aged 65 and older.
Of the respondents aged 18 and older in this survey, 81% have used e-mail in the last year; among respondents aged 65 and older, the figure is 73%. We refer to this group as '(email) users' in this news release.
