{"id":1754,"date":"2019-09-27T18:24:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-27T16:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/?p=1754"},"modified":"2026-08-06T23:39:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T21:39:30","slug":"sharp-rise-fake-bank-text-messages-smishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/news\/sharp-rise-fake-bank-text-messages-smishing\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharp rise in fake text messages purporting to be from banks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In recent months, Dutch banks have received a striking number of reports of \u2018smishing\u2019: phishing by text message. Banks are urging customers to forward fake text messages and emails to the bank being impersonated as quickly as possible (in Dutch) <\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a>. This enables the bank to try to have the fraudulent websites behind those messages blocked.<\/p>\n\n\n
\"Stack<\/figure>\n\n\n

This evening, Friday 27 September at 7.10 pm, Meldpunt, the consumer programme produced by Dutch broadcaster Omroep MAX (in Dutch) <\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a>, will devote considerable attention to fake text messages. How do they work? How can you recognise them? And what can you do about them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Number of smishing reports has doubled<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A sample of several members of the Dutch Payments Association shows that the number of reports of fake text messages received by banks has more than doubled since the beginning of this year. At the start of the year, there were roughly 7,000 reports a month; in the first three weeks of September alone, there were already around 15,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The total number of reports about phishing in general remained approximately the same over that period. As a result, smishing reports as a share of all phishing reports also rose sharply: from 10% in February to 25% in August and September. Dutch banks receive around 50,000 reports of phishing each month on average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of thousands of fake messages each month<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many fake emails and text messages are also sent in the name of other major organisations, including the Dutch Tax Administration, the Central Fine Collection Agency, DigiD, online retailers and telecoms companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fraudsters probably send between half a million and one million fake messages in the name of banks alone each month. By no means all fake emails and text messages received by customers of banks and other companies are reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you recognise smishing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n