Scams targeting expats in the Netherlands: fake texts, bank calls and rental fraud
Door Lisa van den BergBijgewerkt op 8 min lezen
The most common scams in the Netherlands are phishing texts and emails posing as the tax office, banks, parcel services or your provider, fake bank helpdesk calls asking you to move money to a 'safe account', WhatsApp 'new number' requests from a family member, and rental fraud. Your bank and the Tax Administration never ask for codes or payment via a link. Where to report: your bank, Fraudehelpdesk (088-7867372) and the police (0900-8844).
Short answer
As of 29 September 2026: in 2023, 2 in 3 Dutch people aged 15 and over received messages from online criminals and 1 in 10 fell victim to an online scam (Government.nl). Newcomers are attractive targets because they don't yet know what real Dutch messages look like. Three rules stop most scams: your bank never asks you to transfer money, share codes or hand over your card (Veilig Bankieren); the Tax Administration never asks you to pay via a link or for your BSN or bank details by email, SMS or WhatsApp (Belastingdienst); and a landlord who wants money before a viewing is a red flag (TU Delft). If it happens: call your bank first, then report to Fraudehelpdesk (088-7867372) and the police (0900-8844 or online) (Fraudehelpdesk, Politie).
Which scams are most common in the Netherlands?
These are the scams expats run into most, with the tell-tale sign of each.
| Scam | How it works | Tell-tale sign |
|---|---|---|
| Phishing text or email (smishing) | Message from the "tax office", a bank, parcel service, energy or telecom provider with a payment or login link | Urgency plus a link; real organisations don't ask you to pay or log in via a link in a text |
| Bank helpdesk fraud | Caller poses as your bank's security team, sometimes with a spoofed bank number, and says your account is at risk | Asks you to move money to a "safe account", share codes or hand over your card |
| WhatsApp "new number" (hulpvraagfraude) | Message from "your child" or a friend on a new number who urgently needs money | New number, request to delete the old one, urgent payment |
| Rental fraud | Cheap listing copied from a real site; "landlord" is abroad and wants a deposit first | Money before a viewing or signed contract; payment abroad or via a money transfer service |
| Fake provider calls | Caller offers a discount or "contract renewal" on behalf of your telecom or energy provider | Pressure to decide on the phone; asks for bank details |
| Missed call from abroad (wangiri) | A short missed call from a foreign number to make you call back an expensive line | Unknown international number you don't expect |
Sources: Veilig Bankieren, Fraudehelpdesk, TU Delft, Belastingdienst. More in Dutch: recognising phishing texts (in Dutch), WhatsApp friend-in-need fraud (in Dutch) and wangiri call-back fraud (in Dutch).
What will your bank never ask you to do?
Transfer money, share codes, give remote access or hand over your card. The Dutch banks' joint safety site lists what a bank never does (Veilig Bankieren):
- Ask you by phone or text message to transfer money, for example to a "safe" or "vault" account. Such accounts do not exist.
- Ask for your PIN, passwords or security codes by phone or message.
- Ask for access to your computer or phone.
- Send someone to your home to pick up your bank card, or ask you to post it.
If you get such a call, hang up and call your bank on the number on its website or your card. Veilig Bankieren advises reporting it to the police on 0900-8844 as well, and acting quickly because fraudsters may come to your door within hours (Veilig Bankieren).
Fraudsters also pose as the Fraudehelpdesk
In 2025 criminals called and texted people while pretending to be from the Fraudehelpdesk itself. The Fraudehelpdesk gives advice and collects reports; it does not call you about your bank account (Fraudehelpdesk alert, 2025).
How do you recognise fake messages from the government?
The Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) says it never asks you to transfer money by clicking a link, never asks for your BSN or bank account by email, SMS or WhatsApp, and never sends messages about payment problems through WhatsApp or email (Belastingdienst). Real tax debts are communicated by letter or in your MijnBelastingdienst account. The same caution applies to messages about DigiD, the municipality or fines: go to the official website yourself rather than clicking a link.
The Belastingdienst has an English page where you can report suspicious emails, texts, calls and apps (Belastingdienst). A general guide in Dutch: recognising phishing from banks, telecom and energy companies (in Dutch).
How do you avoid rental scams?
Never pay before you have seen the home and checked the landlord. TU Delft's warnings for international students (TU Delft):
- Be wary of a great location at an unusually low price.
- Be wary of a "landlord" who is abroad and can't show you the home.
- Don't pay via Western Union, MoneyGram or to a foreign account, and don't send a passport copy before verifying the landlord.
- Check the listing's photos and address against Google Maps and real estate sites to spot stolen photos.
Once you have a real address, arrange your utilities in the right order with the moving checklist.
What about calls from telecom and energy providers?
Since 1 July 2026 companies may only call you for sales if you gave explicit consent beforehand, even if you are or were their customer; the exception for (former) customers that applied from 2021 has ended. Only charities, charity lotteries and newspaper and magazine publishers may still call their existing and former customers. Saying "I don't want to be called anymore" withdraws your consent (ACM). A pushy call offering a "discount" or a contract renewal is therefore suspect, and fraudsters use the names of well-known providers. Never give your bank details or a verification code on a call you did not start; end the call and contact the provider through its own app or website. A new contract taken out by phone or online comes with a 14-day cooling-off period; see Dutch telecom contracts explained.
More in Dutch: fake callers and fake texts from providers (in Dutch) and SIM swapping (in Dutch).
What should you do if you have been scammed?
- Call your bank immediately to block payments and your card; the police name this as the first step (Politie).
- Change passwords of any account you logged into via the fake link, starting with email and banking.
- Report to the police: online with DigiD or by phone on 0900-8844; call 112 only in an emergency (Politie, Politie, English).
- Report to Fraudehelpdesk on 088-7867372 (+31 88 786 7372 from abroad) or via its online form, which is in Dutch but can be used with a translation tool (Fraudehelpdesk).
- Identity misused? If someone took out a phone contract or loan in your name, see reporting identity fraud (in Dutch) and check the telecom register as explained in credit checks for a Dutch phone contract.
Veelgestelde vragen
Call your bank first if money is involved. Then report to the police online with DigiD or on 0900-8844, and to the Fraudehelpdesk on 088-7867372.
No. The Belastingdienst says it never asks you to pay via a link and never asks for your BSN or bank details by email, SMS or WhatsApp.
No. Dutch banks never ask you to transfer money, share codes or hand over your card. Safe or vault accounts do not exist. Hang up and call your bank on its official number.
Warning signs are a low price in a great location, a landlord who is abroad and can't show the home, and a request for a deposit or passport copy before a viewing or signed contract.
Geschreven door
