How to Report a Scam or Cybercrime in the Netherlands (and Recover Your Money)
Scammed in the Netherlands? Call your bank, file a police aangifte, and report to the Fraudehelpdesk. A clear English guide to reporting and getting money back.
Quick answer: Call your bank now and ask them to recall the payment and freeze the receiving account. Then file an official police report (an aangifte) with the Politie at politie.nl or on 0900-8844, and report the scam to the national fraud hotline, the Fraudehelpdesk. Speed matters most in the first hours.
What to do in 3 steps
- Call your bank immediately. This is the single most important step. Ask them to try to recall the transfer and to block the receiving account before the money moves on. If criminals impersonated your bank — pretending to be the bank's helpdesk or fraud team, often using a spoofed phone number (spoofing or bankhelpdeskfraude) — say so clearly and ask about the banks' reimbursement scheme for spoofing victims.
- File an aangifte and report to the Fraudehelpdesk. An aangifte is a formal police report. File it online at politie.nl or by phone on 0900-8844. Separately, report the scam to the Fraudehelpdesk, the national fraud hotline, online or on 088-786 73 72 — they give free advice and point you to the right authorities.
- Preserve every piece of evidence. Do not delete anything. Keep the messages, emails, phone numbers, payment confirmations and the recipient's IBAN. You will need these for both your bank and the police.
Two things work in your favour, but neither is automatic. First, Dutch banks operate a voluntary scheme to reimburse qualifying victims of bank-helpdesk fraud (spoofing) — where criminals impersonate your own bank. Reimbursement is conditional, not guaranteed for every scam: banks assess each case, you must report it, and you must show you were genuinely deceived. Ordinary scams where you knowingly paid a stranger are generally not covered. Second, since 9 October 2025, euro-area banks — including in the Netherlands — must run a Verification of Payee (VoP) check before a transfer, warning you when the payee name does not match the IBAN. If you get a "no match" warning, stop and check before you confirm.
How recovery actually works
Recovery is mostly about speed and category. The moment a transfer leaves your account, your bank can try to recall it, but it usually only works if the money is still sitting in the receiving account — so calling within minutes or hours beats calling the next day. If the fraud was bank-impersonation (spoofing), your case may qualify under the banks' reimbursement scheme, and your police aangifte plus your evidence are what the bank will assess. For other scams — fake webshops, investment fraud, romance scams — there is no guaranteed payout, but your report still helps the bank trace the money and helps the Politie and Fraudehelpdesk spot patterns and warn others. If you used a debit or credit card, ask your bank about a chargeback as well.
What to have ready
- The recipient's IBAN and account name (and any website, phone number, or email used)
- The exact amount and currency, and the date and time of each payment
- Your bank's transaction reference or payment confirmation
- Screenshots of messages, chats, emails, adverts, and any spoofed caller ID
- A short timeline of what happened, in order
- Your own bank account details and any case number your bank gives you
Frequently asked questions
Can I report in English? The official language is Dutch, but the Netherlands has very high English proficiency and you can generally explain your situation in English. The key Dutch terms to know are aangifte (formal police report), Fraudehelpdesk (national fraud hotline), and spoofing or bankhelpdeskfraude (bank-impersonation fraud).
Is the Fraudehelpdesk the same as the police? No. The Fraudehelpdesk is the national hotline for fraud questions and advice and collects reports to warn the public; it is not law enforcement. To start a criminal case you still file an aangifte with the Politie. Do both.
Will I definitely get my money back? No. Reimbursement under the bank-spoofing scheme is conditional and assessed case by case, and most other scams have no guaranteed refund. Reporting fast still gives you the best chance of a recall and supports any later claim.
Sources
- Politie — Aangifte of melding doen (file a report)
- Fraudehelpdesk — the Dutch national anti-fraud hotline
- Betaalvereniging Nederland — fraud prevention, detection and response
- European Central Bank — Instant Payments Regulation and Verification of Payee
For step-by-step reporting and recovery guides covering other countries, see our cybercrime help hub.