Dutch campaign urges people to pause before clicking suspicious links

The Dutch ministries of Justice and Security and the Interior have launched a campaign urging people to pause before clicking, replying or paying online, warning that scammers use pressure and convincing messages to make victims act quickly. Its advice: take three seconds to think, and if in doubt, click away. [1]

The ministries say a survey they commissioned found that 94 per cent of adults in the Netherlands have doubted whether a link, advert or message was trustworthy, yet still clicked. Four in ten respondents said they had regretted clicking, for example on an offer that seemed too good to be true or a request for an immediate payment. [1]

According to the ministries, two in three people in the Netherlands face a cybercrime attempt each year and 2.4 million become victims. They say criminals often impersonate a familiar or trusted sender, such as a delivery company, bank or government body, and pressure people to pay, reply or share personal details. [1]

Justice and Security Minister David van Weel said criminals use new technology, including AI and information from data breaches, to create messages that are difficult to distinguish from genuine ones. Police specialist Aad Lensen said anyone can be caught out, particularly when rushed or distracted. [1]

The report also describes recent WhatsApp messages that appear to come from a contact asking for help for a girl named Eliška to win a free dance lesson. Clicking the link sends the same message to the victim’s contacts, while scammers gain access to their WhatsApp conversations through a technique known as “ghost pairing”, the report says. It advises disconnecting all linked devices.