Every year, thousands of young people in the Netherlands are tricked by fake online shops. A recent survey shows that one in five young people aged 16 to 19 has already fallen for this type of scam. So, how do these scams work, and what can people do to avoid them?
How does the scam work?
Fake webshops are carefully designed to look real. For instance, they may copy logos, display professional product photos, and include fake reviews to appear trustworthy. The trick often lies in the price, as scammers advertise popular items at very low prices to catch buyers’ attention.
Once the buyer places an order and pays, the product never arrives. In many cases, the website disappears entirely. According to BNR, the national fraud helpdesk reported around 5,000 cases of webshop fraud in 2024 alone, with total losses of €1.1 million. On average, young victims lost about €140.
De Telegraaf newspaper quotes Henriëtte Bongers, director of the fraud helpdesk, who calls it ‘a major problem: one thoughtless click and your money is gone’. Unfortunately, many young people are too embarrassed to report to the police or the helpdesk that they have been scammed, so the real number of victims is likely even higher.
Why are young people such frequent targets?
Young people are especially vulnerable to fake webshops. In early 2025, the budget advice organization Wijzer in geldzaken surveyed over 1,000 young people aged 16 to 19. The results showed that 20% had been scammed, and about half knew someone else who had also been a victim. Interestingly, more than half of the young people surveyed believed they could recognize a fake site, even though many still got tricked.
Bongers explains that young people are often drawn in by ‘popular products like branded clothing, sneakers or game consoles that are no longer available elsewhere, but are on fake websites’. These tempting deals often appear on social media and disappear quickly, making it hard to verify whether they’re real or not.
Because young people spend so much time online and often shop impulsively, scammers see them as easy targets. As a result, some fall for the same trick more than once. According to the survey, 4% of boys have been scammed multiple times, compared to 1% of girls. This highlights how some groups are even more at risk than others.
The importance of financial skills
Avoiding scams often comes down to having the right knowledge to make smart financial decisions. However, Wijzer in geldzaken found that more than one-third of young people don’t feel prepared to handle their own finances. Many are unsure how to manage things like insurance, taxes or applying for financial assistance.
Despite this, most young people want to be financially independent by their early twenties. That makes it even more important to learn how to handle money wisely and avoid financial traps like fake webshops.
‘Young people who learn to make responsible financial choices will benefit from this for the rest of their lives,’ says Bongers. Being financially smart includes thinking twice before clicking ‘buy’, especially when something looks too good to be true.
Recognizing a fake webshop
There are a few simple steps everyone should follow to avoid falling victim to a fake webshop:
- Check reviews on trusted platforms like Trustpilot.
- Use tools like ScamCheck by pasting the webshop’s link to see if it has been reported.
- Look for signs of trust, like the Thuiswinkel quality mark, but double-check the logo on the actual Thuiswinkel.org website.
- Check the URL for strange spellings or unusual endings.
- Be cautious of very low prices; this is a major red flag.
- Verify company details, such as the Chamber of Commerce registration and their contact information.
Bongers warns that fake websites are becoming harder to recognize, so staying alert is essential. ‘Websites are becoming more sophisticated,’ she says. Therefore, it’s important to always double-check before making a purchase.
Written by Bárbara Luque Alanís