Dutch drop €5 billion on internet scams

More than a million Dutch people have been the victim of internet fraud in the last two years. In total the victims have been scammed out of more than 5 billion euros. This is evident from research done by the Fraud Help Desk, the national reporting point for questions and reports on fraud. The Fraud Help Desk commissioned a survey in which thousand of people over the age of 18 participated. 9 percent claimed that they have recently been scammed over the internet. It mostly (70 percent) involves amounts of up to 500 euro. 12 percent of victims claim to have lost between 1 thousand and 10 thousand euros. In 3 percent of the cases the amounts were more than 20 thousand euros. The higher amounts are often lost through dating sites. Internet loves claim to need money for, for example, plane tickets or hospitalization. Less than half of all victims reported the fraud. "When it comes to large amounts, then people are often ashamed of it", said a spokesperson for the Fraud Help Desk. When it involves amounts less than 500 euro, people often feel it is not worth going to the police. "Victims think the police can not help because they are preoccupied with other things such as handing out traffic fines."