News item | 27-11-2025 | 06:00
Government research shows vulnerability and overconfidence among Dutch people when recognizing online scams. Dutch people have great difficulty recognizing online scams. At the same time, half of Dutch people say they are good or very good at this.
This is evident from new research by Verian, carried out on behalf of the national government. 9 out of 10 Dutch people do not always know how to recognize online scams. 4 in 10 Dutch people (42%) overestimate themselves: they think they can distinguish between fake and real better than they actually can. The central government warns with ‘Don’t let yourself be scammed’ that technological developments, such as artificial intelligence, make online scams increasingly difficult to distinguish. Almost 1 in 3 Dutch people (32%) are concerned about being scammed online.
The most important findings from the research at a glance:
- 9 out of 10 Dutch people do not always recognize online scams: only 6% are able to consistently distinguish online deception.
- Yet 50% of the Netherlands say they are good or very good at recognizing online scams.
- 42% overestimate their own ability to distinguish between real and fake.
- 73% say that technological developments will make it more difficult for them to recognize scams.
- Dutch people under the age of 34 rate all forms of online scams as more reliable than people 55+.
- Dutch people under the age of 34 are more likely to click on links from scammers than people 55+.
- Of all age groups, Dutch people under the age of 34 most often indicate that they are (very) good at recognizing online scams.
Real and fake can hardly be distinguished
Scammers operate in a sophisticated manner. For example, with new technologies, previously leaked personal data can easily be misused for large-scale, hyper-personal deception messages. The messages also contain less and less of the familiar characteristics of online scams, such as glaring language errors or suspicious-looking links.
“Online scams are becoming increasingly difficult to recognize. Because the difference between real and just real is so small, and many people overestimate themselves, we run more risk than we often think. And that is precisely why it can happen to anyone,” says Foort van Oosten, Minister of Justice and Security.
Dutch people overestimate themselves
Half of Dutch people (50%) say they are good or very good at recognizing online scams. However, the research shows that Dutch people greatly overestimate themselves: in practice, it appears that only 6% of all online scam attempts are consistently recognized as such. More than 4 in 10 Dutch people (42%) overestimate their ability to distinguish between fake and real. This underlines that people who do not expect this of themselves can also be scammed online. Dutch people under the age of 34 appear to be more sensitive to online deception. They say more often than other age groups that they recognize online scams, but are still more likely to click on links from scammers. They also rate fake messages as reliable more often than people 55+.
About the researchParticipants in the study received an email, text message, WhatsApp message, website and social-reel that are similar to what they may encounter in everyday life. Consider an email from an online sales platform, a text message from a postal company, a video on social media from a well-known Dutch person, or a webshop. Half of the participants saw the real variants, the other half saw variants with different signals social engineering have been added. These fake messages were developed in collaboration with Ethical hacker Yusuf Onay from the DIVD (Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure), to ensure the validity of the research results. One of the most striking examples was a deepfake video, developed in collaboration with illusionist Victor Mids. The control group in the study saw a real one social reel of the well-known illusionist, the experimental group saw the misleading variant of this video, to which a fake message had been added thanks to AI. Half of the participants did not realize that it was a fake message. |
It can happen to anyone: online scammers are getting smarter
3 in 4 Dutch people expect that technological developments will make it increasingly difficult to recognize online scams.
Illusionist Victor Mids, who had himself deepfaked for the research: “As an illusionist, I essentially play the same game as what you often see in online scams: something is presented as ‘real’, which deceives you. Your brain makes a wrong assumption somewhere in your decision-making, and before you know it you have clicked on an incorrect link, for example. I found it astonishing to see that half of all participants did not realize that a deepfake had been made of me.”
Recognize the signals
Yoanne Spoormans, Cybercrime specialist at the police, explains: “Abuse of new technology makes online scams more credible. But there are always signals that can help you recognize that something strange is going on. Online scammers try to convince you to act quickly, for example to avert an emergency situation or because a product is almost sold out. This time pressure means you can no longer think critically. So do you really need to act quickly? Then be alert and take a step back. Build time to check the facts and the sender. Preferably, ask for advice from someone you trust. If it is not correct or you are unsure, then you can always report it to the police. In many cases, this can also be done online.
Don’t let yourself be hacked
The government’s multi-year campaign calls on people to always take 3 seconds before clicking on something. The aim is to help Dutch people recognize online deception and thus prevent scams. Online criminals are getting smarter. They put you under time pressure, lure you with a great offer or pretend to be someone you trust using new technologies and then steal your data or money. On Laatjenietinterneppen.nl you will find more information about how to recognize this type of online deception.