Is Dit Veilig?Scam type
Scam type 5/15

Spotting a fake webshop: 8 checks before you pay

A too-cheap sneaker, an unknown .nl shop, no Chamber-of-Commerce number? Here's how to check in a minute whether a webshop is real — or whether you're throwing money away.

Stats and sources
Updated: May 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.

SIDN (Dutch .nl registry) took roughly 4,000 fake webshops under .nl offline in 2025 after 5,000 reports.
Source: SIDN
Purchase fraud is by far the biggest online-fraud category: CBS found in 2024 that 7% of Dutch residents (15+) were victims.
The Dutch police campaign pakjedealsnu.nl drew 125,000 visitors in 2 months — a sign of how many Dutch consumers fall for too-good-to-be-true offers.
Purchase fraud at the Fraudehelpdesk in 2025: up 35% year-on-year.
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.

  1. 01
    The webshop sometimes only exists for a few weeks, hosted abroad, with a not-quite-Dutch domain (e.g. nikeschoenen.co.nl, klassieke-autos.nl).
  2. 02
    Prices sit 40-70% below market value — popular brands (Nike, Adidas, Apple, Stanley, Lego, Dyson) are favourites.
  3. 03
    Images and product descriptions are stolen from real webshops.
  4. 04
    Payment only in advance via iDEAL look-alikes, credit card or (suspiciously) bank transfer to a foreign IBAN.
  5. 05
    No KvK (Chamber of Commerce) number, a fabricated KvK number, or a KvK number of a bankrupt company.
  6. 06
    When you make contact, things keep getting postponed; then communication stops entirely or a counterfeit arrives.
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.

Prices are too good to be true.
No KvK number, no Dutch phone number, no physical address (or a fake one).
Reviews only appear on the site itself, not on Trustpilot/Kiyoh.
The IBAN is foreign (LT, ES, DE) or in a personal name.
The domain is young (check via whois or sidn.nl).
No cancellation policy, no privacy statement, no secure HTTPS lock at checkout.
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. 1
    Check the site via check.veiliginternetten.nl or via the Consumentenbond Webshopcheck.
  2. 2
    Verify the KvK number on kvk.nl/zoeken.
  3. 3
    Already paid? File a police report at politie.nl and report to the Fraudehelpdesk.
  4. 4
    For credit-card payments: call your credit-card company for a chargeback.
  5. 5
    For iDEAL/bank transfers: call your bank (a SEPA Recall is possible within 13 months, but rarely succeeds).
  6. 6
    Report the site to SIDN (sidn.nl/melden) if it's a .nl domain.
Examples from our database

Concrete examples of this scam type

Click through on an example to see the full dossier: feed hits, host info, domain age, related cases.

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.

Common questions

Common questions about this scam

What is spotting a fake webshop?
The webshop sometimes only exists for a few weeks, hosted abroad, with a not-quite-Dutch domain (e.g. nikeschoenen.co.nl, klassieke-autos.nl). Prices sit 40-70% below market value — popular brands (Nike, Adidas, Apple, Stanley, Lego, Dyson) are favourites.
Is this webshop trustworthy?
Prices are too good to be true. Check the site via check.veiliginternetten.nl or via the Consumentenbond Webshopcheck.
How to recognize a fake webshop?
No KvK number, no Dutch phone number, no physical address (or a fake one). Verify the KvK number on kvk.nl/zoeken.
Webshop didn't deliver get money back?
Reviews only appear on the site itself, not on Trustpilot/Kiyoh. Already paid? File a police report at politie.nl and report to the Fraudehelpdesk.
What should I do if I've been a victim?
Check the site via check.veiliginternetten.nl or via the Consumentenbond Webshopcheck. Verify the KvK number on kvk.nl/zoeken. Already paid? File a police report at politie.nl and report to the Fraudehelpdesk.
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.