this was the most common fraud in 2021
Last year, fraud amounting to almost 47 million euros was reported, the Fraud Helpdesk announced. What is striking is that fraud with online sales is on the rise, as is investor fraud. In addition, fraud with WhatsApp also remains a major problem.
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Research Fraudelpdesk 2021
The Fraud Helpdesk again received all types of fraud reports for a whole year in 2021 and the researchers now share an analysis of the past year in a press release. What is most striking in this regard is the increase in the number of reports of fraudulent online purchases and sales (an increase of more than 25% compared to 2020) and the high amount of damage caused by investment fraud (more than 19 million euros, an increase of 45% compared to 2020).
In 2021, 47 million euros in damage caused by fraud was reported, compared to 41 million in 2020. In the last months of 2021, Fraud Helpdesk also saw an explosion in reports about automated telephone calls, ostensibly from the police or the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. Of the 1.5 million website visitors in 2021, about 200,000 searched for information about this.
WhatsApp fraud
Last year, hacking and phishing were the most reported reports, while in 2020 WhatsApp fraud was the most frequent. However, that does not mean that WhatsApp fraud is now rare, because recently the police and the Public Prosecution Service warned against this form of fraud.
In most cases, these are criminals posing as a so-called family member who suddenly has a different phone number. In this article we explain how you can best protect yourself against malicious parties on WhatsApp and how you can report fraud.
Top 3 Fraud Forms
Fraud Helpdesk also shares its top 3 of the most common types of fraud in terms of: fraud reports, the number of victims with financial damage and the highest damage amounts. You can read the overview here:
notifications
- Cybercrime (hacking, phishing, computer intrusion, malware)
- Identity fraud (especially WhatsApp help request)
- Trading place/webshop fraud
Victims with financial damage
- Trading place/webshop fraud
- Identity fraud (especially WhatsApp help request)
- Advance fraud (anything where people have to ‘advance’ money in order to receive something, including dating fraud and fake loans)
Damage amounts
- investment fraud
- Advance fraud (anything where people have to ‘advance’ money in order to receive something)
- Identity fraud Legal entities (including misuse of a company name)
Fraud protection: private and professional
Fraud Helpdesk states that a healthy mistrust offers the best protection against fraud. This applies in private, especially in the mailbox, on social media and when making online purchases. It advises companies to discuss fraud with employees. Inform employees about the risks and ensure good e-mail security. Finally, always be cautious when posting (company) data online.
Were you the victim of online fraud last year? Did you report fraud last year? Maybe you have more tips with which we can all quickly spot fraud? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this article.
