About 97,000 Dutch people were spoofed last year. The damages amounted to 261 million euros, according to data from the statistical office on Thursday CBS.-
Spoofing is a form of fraud in which scammers call from an existing phone number, such as a bank. They pose as employees to take money from people.
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About 18,000 people were victims of bank spoofing, the best-known form of spoofing. Half of the victims lost at least 4,000 euros. In total, the damage was 94 million euros.
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According to CBS, emergency friend fraud is still popular with criminals. Furthermore, scammers approach a victim via WhatsApp and pretend to be a friend or family member. In the conversation, the scammer quickly asks for money because supposedly a bill needs to be paid or a plane ticket needs to be purchased.
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Some 26,000 people were victims of emergency fraud last year. Half of them paid at least € 2,000 to so-called friends or relatives. The total damage was 73 million euros.
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The victims ultimately saw 121 million euros out of a total of 261 million. Of these, 70 million were made up of fees from banks, credit card companies and online payment services.
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The remaining 51 million euros relate to other forms of spoofing. Victims, for example, received reimbursement because the damage was recovered by the perpetrators.
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