Phishing in the Netherlands, or How not to fall into the hands of scammers

Imagine: a call, you pick up the phone - an answering machine tells you in English that government agencies need more information from you. They ask to press the number 1. You press, and then they answer you as if you had called them. The man says in a businesslike manner: “Unfortunately, your personal data has been stolen. Let's check your BSN ... ”.

Or: you received an SMS message. The senders have a well-known name - Belastingdienst (tax). A link came to pay some debt. You don't read much, you have no time, just follow the link ...

These examples are taken from real life. In the first case, the scammers took possession of the personal data of an unsuspecting girl, and in the second, the man's wallet became lighter by 1000 euros.

Familiar situations? If not, then perhaps you are already familiar with fraudulent schemes or you are in luck: you have not yet fallen into the hands of swindlers who are ready to do anything for profit.

Criminals often try to deceive personal data and send a link to pay debt or VAT through phone calls, emails, messages in What's app or SMS under the guise of police, tax or customs officers.

Another example: you think you got an email from customs (Douane). The letter says that you need to pay VAT for the ordered product. You immediately remember that you bought gardening tools on AliExpress, and follow the link to pay ... What should not be done in any case.

Please be aware that customs never send e-mails claiming VAT on a parcel. And even more so, Douane will not ask for your pin code.

Also keep in mind that tax authorities never send requests for direct payments. If you owe the fiscal service, then you will receive a letter with information, which will detail the purpose of the payment. If in doubt, it is better to check the information on the website. www.taxdienst.nl/ For more information, see Mijn Belastingdienst of Mijn Toeslagen.

How to respond to suspicious calls, letters and messages?

Do not provide personal information or respond to messages or emails: do not reply or follow links. Phishing can be reported to the Anti-Fraud Service (Fraud Help Desk) by phone 088 – 786 73 72 or by email valse-email@fraudehelpdesk.nl.