In 2024, the police received 45,000 reports of Internet scams. In 20,000 of the cases, this involved Web store fraud. In 2023, it was 15,000 times. "It really is a big problem," said Gijs van der Linden, team leader of The National Internet Scam Reporting Point (LMIO).
"It is important to check a webshop for authenticity because purchase fraud is a growing problem in the Netherlands. Fraudsters mislead consumers through websites that look like reliable webshops, but which after payment end up not delivering any products," the police said.
Police give tips on how people can tell that a website is rogue: "For example, unrealistically low prices are already a warning. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. In addition, check company information, such as a Chamber of Commerce number. This can be done through the Chamber of Commerce to check if the company really exists. In addition, do not blindly trust reviews on the webshop itself, but look for independent reviews on platforms such as Trustpilot."
Click here for the police message.
