Scam type 12/15

Ghost invoices and acquisition fraud: how Dutch SMEs lose €400 million a year

An invoice from a municipal directory or business register you never ordered? Learn which company names you can ignore right now and how to report the fraud.

Stats and sources

Updated: June 2026

What the numbers show

No guesses. Only published data from Fraudehelpdesk (the Dutch fraud helpline), CBS (Statistics Netherlands), AFM, SIDN and Dutch investigative journalism.

Estimated annual losses for Dutch SMEs: €400 million.

Source: MKB Servicedesk

In 2025, 39% of organisations report more than €100,000 in internal fraud losses; 44% for external fraud.

Source: Accountant

Average loss per Benelux SME: around €5,000 per company.

Modus operandi

How does this scam actually work in practice?

Step by step: this is how scammers build the scenario. The faster you spot the pattern, the sooner you can hang up or click away.

01
A phone call in which "we're just verifying your company details" — followed by an invoice for a listing that "has been agreed".
02
The invoice looks like an official body: MKB Registratie Services, Gemeente-gidsen, Bedrijvenregister, Jouw Domein Nederland, KvK Update.
03
Amounts between €197 and €497 — low enough to slip through accounts payable.
04
Often with an IBAN in Portugal, Spain, Lithuania or Poland.
05
Months of follow-up with reminders and supposed collection threats.
06
Sometimes accompanied by a disguised signature or a "sample contract" with flourishes that resemble KvK stamps.

Red flags

How do you spot this scam before it's too late?

One red flag is usually enough. Two and you know for sure something is off. Stop, hang up, click away, call the real organization via a number you look up yourself.

An invoice for a service that isn't clearly described, like "listing in business directory".

The company name resembles a well-known body

especially 'KvK' or 'Gemeente' in the name without it being the actual KvK or municipality.

A foreign IBAN.

No signature or order confirmation from your side.

The domain is recent, with no historical online presence.

Reminders follow fast and aggressively.

What to do

What to do if you've been targeted

In this order. Time is money — literally. The faster you call, the bigger the chance the bank can still reverse a transaction.

1
Do not pay. Send a registered letter stating that you don't recognize any agreement (template letters via Steunpunt Acquisitiefraude).
2
Report to Steunpunt Acquisitiefraude (acquisitiefraude.nl, the Dutch acquisition-fraud reporting centre) and to the Fraudehelpdesk.
3
Keep all correspondence as evidence.
4
Check the so-called sender at the Chamber of Commerce (kvk.nl) — often a foreign BV.
5
If a real collection threat arrives: get legal advice (Juridisch Loket 0900-8020, free Dutch legal help line).
6
Since 2016 acquisition fraud is in article 326d of the Dutch Criminal Code — a police report is possible.

Common search queries

What people Google when they run into this scam

Recognize your own situation in one of these phrases? Paste your input into the checker above and you'll get an instant dossier — no account needed.

"invoice business register do I have to pay"
"how to recognize a ghost invoice SME"
"fake invoice municipal directory 2025"
"invoice MKB Registratie Services"
"invoice Jouw Domein Nederland fake"
"acquisition fraud what to do"
"invoice Portuguese bank account"
"unsolicited contract phone directory"

Common questions

Common questions about this scam

What is ghost invoices and acquisition fraud?

A phone call in which "we're just verifying your company details" — followed by an invoice for a listing that "has been agreed". The invoice looks like an official body: MKB Registratie Services, Gemeente-gidsen, Bedrijvenregister, Jouw Domein Nederland, KvK Update.

Invoice business register do I have to pay?

An invoice for a service that isn't clearly described, like "listing in business directory". Do not pay. Send a registered letter stating that you don't recognize any agreement (template letters via Steunpunt Acquisitiefraude).

How to recognize a ghost invoice SME?

The company name resembles a well-known body — especially 'KvK' or 'Gemeente' in the name without it being the actual KvK or municipality. Report to Steunpunt Acquisitiefraude (acquisitiefraude.nl, the Dutch acquisition-fraud reporting centre) and to the Fraudehelpdesk.

Fake invoice municipal directory 2025?

A foreign IBAN. Keep all correspondence as evidence.

What should I do if I've been a victim?

Do not pay. Send a registered letter stating that you don't recognize any agreement (template letters via Steunpunt Acquisitiefraude). Report to Steunpunt Acquisitiefraude (acquisitiefraude.nl, the Dutch acquisition-fraud reporting centre) and to the Fraudehelpdesk. Keep all correspondence as evidence.

Will I get my money back?

Whether you get your money back depends on the type of scam, how quickly you called your bank and whether you handed over credentials yourself. Dutch banks operate a goodwill scheme but in practice rarely pay out 100%. Always file a police report immediately and report to the Fraudehelpdesk — this strengthens your case.

Ghost invoices and acquisition fraud: how Dutch SMEs lose €400 million a year

What the numbers show

How does this scam actually work in practice?

How do you spot this scam before it's too late?

What to do if you've been targeted

We'll draft the right letter for you

Concrete examples of this scam type

What people Google when they run into this scam

Common questions about this scam

Call these numbers now — in this order

Ghost invoices and acquisition fraud: how Dutch SMEs lose €400 million a year

What the numbers show

How does this scam actually work in practice?

How do you spot this scam before it's too late?

What to do if you've been targeted

We'll draft the right letter for you

Concrete examples of this scam type

What people Google when they run into this scam

Often combined with these other scam types

Common questions about this scam

Call these numbers now — in this order