How to spot a fake email
These tips will help you spot fake emails. The following features should make you wary of an email you receive:
- In the sender's email address, the name after the @ sign is different from that of your bank.
- The email is not addressed to you personally.
- The sender asks you to do something immediately or else things will go wrong or you might miss out on an opportunity.
- You are being asked to enter your login details after clicking a link or scanning a QR code.
- The email has a ZIP or RAR file attached.
- The email contains a link to a website that is not your bank’s. Therefore, always check the web address. Hover over the link, but do not click on it. This will display the full web address, possibly at the bottom of your screen. Also check out the tips to spot fake websites if you are unsure whether the address is real.
- Your bank's contact details are incorrect. You can check this on your bank's real website.
- The email has spelling errors.
How to spot fake phone calls, chat messages or texts
Someone will pretend to be a bank employee. You may even see the number or name of your bank on the screen. Here's how to recognise these fake calls. You are told to:
- immediately transfer money
- state your PIN or login details
Your bank will never ask you to do this. Delete the text or chat message. Or take a picture or screenshot of the message first and contact your bank. End the phone call or say that you will call back later on the bank's general number.
Never act on suspicious messages from your bank
If you are suspicious, simply do not respond. This means you should:
- not provide any personal information
- not transfer money to a “safe” or "escrow” account
- not open attachments or click on links
- report to your bank that you have received a suspicious message.
Check the website of the Dutch national anti-fraud hotline (Fraudehelpdesk) for warnings of phishing or spoofing scams.