In the first six months of the year, the Fraud Helpdesk received 18,738 reports of online fraud. As a result, the damage amounted to almost 21 million euros, over 2.5 million euros more compared to the first half of last year. Most of the financial damage was caused by misuse of company data. This is what Tanya Wijngaarde, spokesperson for the Fraude Helpdesk, told NU.nl when asked.
In the category of identity fraud, there were 2,505 reports in the first six months of the year. Someone is trying to steal your personal data and misuse it for criminal purposes, for example by using your name and defrauding victims. This is a very dangerous form of identity theft, as it can cause you substantial financial damage. Or worse, you can even get a criminal record or jail time for something you didn't do.
Most victims fell in online store fraud. This includes purchase and sales fraud. According to the Fraude Help Desk, in the past six months there were 2,137 victims who collectively lost 482,962 euros. The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) recently reported that the number of victims of purchase fraud had increased by 118.6 percent between 2012 and 2021. The number of victims of sales fraud increased by 64.7 percent during this period.
Most of the financial damage is due to misuse of company data. In the first half of this year, nearly 7,240,000 euros in damages were reported. Internet scammers mostly posed as the director of a company claiming to owe money. This type of fraud is also called CEO fraud and is part of Business Email Compromise or BEC fraud. There are also examples where scammers pretended to be a bank or Europol. Last year, BEC fraud accounted for more than 1.6 million euros in damages.
Furthermore, in the first two quarters, the Fraud Helpdesk received thousands of reports about English-language phone calls. People were supposedly called by the "National Police" or the "Dutch Supreme Court. The caller said that the citizen service number (BSN) would be misused. Some calls warned people that they would be guilty of criminal activities such as money laundering and drug trafficking. Further, some were told that a warrant was pending against them.
The Fraud Help Desk warned people not to reveal a BSN number or other personal information. Disconnect, don't call back phone numbers you don't know, and be alert to future phone calls, the advice said.
The cabinet promised earlier this month to crack down on online fraud. Research has shown that four out of ten Dutch people have at some point experienced online fraud. This causes some 2.75 billion euros in damages annually. In addition to financial damage, online fraud often leads to emotional and psychological damage. That is why the government believes it is important to curb this.
The government has formulated six pillars to fist against the growth of online fraud: prevention, technical barriers, victim fulfillment, detection and prosecution, and expertise and information sharing. To prevent people from starting or becoming victims of online fraud, the cyber driving license pilot was recently launched. Elementary school students are then updated and informed about various forms of online fraud. The intention is that the cyber driving license will soon be available to all elementary school.
Justice and Security Minister Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius did warn that there is currently "no financial coverage available." It is up to the House of Representatives to debate which initiatives will and will not be implemented. Early next year, the integrated approach to online fraud will be evaluated. In the fall of 2023, the cabinet will present the first annual progress report.
