One in four Dutch people think they have nothing worth taking for fraudsters
- Detecting Financial Crime
Hans Sjouke Koopal
Press Officer Private Banking, Personal & BB
New research by ABN AMRO, carried out by Ipsos I&O, shows that 1 in 4 people in the Netherlands (26%) think they are not worth targeting for online fraudsters. This assumption is incorrect, as personal data can be useful to criminals either immediately or later on. Although 85% of people in the Netherlands are aware that the more personal data criminals get their hands on, the more credible it makes any attempted fraud, many still do not sufficiently protect their personal digital data. Anyone who thinks they have nothing worth taking is underestimating what fraudsters can do with the little pieces of data and information we leave behind every day. Over time, it enables them to build an increasingly clear picture of exactly where the vulnerabilities lie.
1 in 4 people in the Netherlands (27%) believe they have nothing worth taking for fraudsters.
85% acknowledge that having more personal data allows criminals to make more credible fraud attempts.
39% of people in the Netherlands store a copy of their identity document online; among young adults (18-35 years), this rises to 47%.
Almost a third (33%) reuse the same password for multiple accounts.
Why everyone has something worth taking
Many people mistakenly think they are not a worthwhile target, while in fact, for fraudsters, both personal data and the digital environment are highly valuable. Everyone leaves countless ‘digital breadcrumbs’ online every day, such as an email address, cookies they have accepted or information obtained through a data breach. Marco Hendriks is a fraud expert at ABN AMRO and explains how criminals use this information: “We can see that fraudsters do not act randomly. They collect data from different sources – a data breach here, a public social media profile there. Over the years, the data accumulates. With this knowledge, they build a picture of their target and develop a tailored tactic to persuade you to transfer money yourself.”
This makes it clear why everyone has something worth taking: with accumulated data, scammers can make a good assessment of what personally triggers someone. By using modern technologies such as AI, fraudsters are becoming increasingly sophisticated at developing fraud tactics based on personal data. Criminals use this to almost instantly turn all the data they have collected about a person into a credible, tailored attack, using the approach they believe has the highest chance of success.
Protect your data
ABN AMRO is urging people in the Netherlands to be more mindful about handling personal data. Passwords and bank details are not the only types of valuable information. Taken together, a name, address, date of birth and information on social media also form the profile fraudsters can use to design their attack. ABN AMRO points out that just a few practical changes in everyday digital behaviour can make a big difference in staying ahead of online crime. The bank advises the following steps:
Set a daily limit on your bank account: this ensures you always remain in control of the maximum amount that can be transferred.
Use two-factor authentication: this adds an effective extra layer of security to your accounts.
Choose unique passwords: by using a different password for each account, you prevent a data breach at one website from affecting other profiles.
Be selective about sharing personal information: share as few specific personal details as possible on public channels such as social media.
Manage your cookie settings carefully: pay attention to the terms and cookies you accept and what data you are sharing as a result.
Young adults often less worried and less careful
The research shows a striking difference between age groups. Young adults (18-35 years) worry less about fraud, but at the same time leave a bigger data trail online. 35% of this group think they have nothing worth taking for fraudsters, compared with 24% among those aged 35 and over. They also handle personal documents in a risky way: 47% of young adults store a copy of their own identity document online, such as in an email, photo album or cloud storage, compared with 35% among those aged 35 and over. If a criminal manages to obtain this through a hack or data leak, they immediately have an important piece of the puzzle for a successful scam. They can use it to make purchases or take out subscriptions in someone else’s name, for example. Combined with other online sources, these form the profile fraudsters use to determine their approach for each person, increasing the risk of identity fraud.
About the research
The ‘I have nothing worth taking’ research was carried out by Ipsos I&O on behalf of ABN AMRO in 2026. It took the form of a representative online survey (CAWI) among 1,000 people in the Netherlands aged 18 and over. The sample is representative by gender, age, region and level of education.