More victims of online crime in 2024
| Type online criminaliteit | 2024 (% people aged 15 years or older) | 2022 (% people aged 15 years or older) |
|---|---|---|
| Online crime (total) | 15.7 | 14.8 |
| Online fraud | 9.4 | 7.6 |
| Purchasing fraud | 7.2 | 5.6 |
| Sales fraud | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Payment fraud | 1.2 | 1 |
| Phishing | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Identity fraud | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Hacking | 3.9 | 4.6 |
| Account hacked | 3.2 | 3.6 |
| Device hacked | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| Online threats and harassment | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Online threats | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Online bullying | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Online stalking | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Distribution of explicit photos or video | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Other online crime | 0.6 | 0.6 |
More than 9 percent of people aged 15 and over had been the victim of online fraud, particularly involving online purchases (7 percent). Additionally, 4 percent had been a victim of hacking, and 4 percent had experienced online threats and harassment. Online threats and harassment include bullying, stalking and the distribution of intimate photos or videos without permission.
Young people more likely to be victims of online crime
There was little difference between women and men in the number of victims of online crime, and little variation by level of education either. However, young people were more likely to have been affected than older people: 20 percent of those aged 15 to 24 had been, compared to 10 percent of those aged 25 to 64. The difference between these two age groups was the greatest with respect to online threats and harassment.37 percent find it more difficult to trust people after experiencing online crime
Victims of online crime were the most likely to report feeling less trust in people afterwards (37 percent), and to report feeling less safe (30 percent). They were less likely to mention sleep problems, symptoms of depression and symptoms of anxiety, and less likely to report reliving the incident over and over again.
Lower trust in people was cited most often as an effect by victims of online fraud (42 percent). Feeling less safe, sleep problems, symptoms of depression, reliving the incident over and over again, and symptoms of anxiety were reported most often by victims of online threats and harassment.
| Gevolgen | Total online criminality (% of victims (15 or older)) | Online fraud (% of victims (15 or older)) | Hacking (% of victims (15 or older)) | Online threats and harassment (% of victims (15 or older)) | Other online crime (% of victims (15 or older)) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less trust in people | 36.5 | 41.5 | 22.6 | 40.4 | 39.9 |
| Feel less safe | 30.4 | 24.6 | 39.9 | 37.5 | 35.5 |
| Problems sleeping | 7 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 14.5 | 8.5 |
| Symptoms of depression | 6 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 14.3 | 9.2 |
| Constantly reliving incident | 5.7 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 9.9 | 8.6 |
| Symptoms of anxiety | 5.4 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 14 | 8.4 |
| ¹⁾ Several responses possible. | |||||
Almost half of victims report online crime
In 2024, 48 percent of the victims of online crime said they had reported this to the police or another agency or person. Among victims of online crime, 18 percent had notified the police of what had happened to them (16 percent had also made an official report). 45 percent had spoken to some other agency or individual, such as a support service or advice point for online crime, or a professional support worker such as a GP, psychologist or social worker, some other professional such as a teacher or supervisor, or a family member or friend.
Victims of hacking were the least likely to have notified the police of the incident (12 percent) or made an official report to the police (10 percent).
| Total (% of victims (15 or older)) | Fraud (% of victims (15 or older)) | Hacking (% of victims (15 or older)) | Threats and harassment (% of victims (15 or older)) | Other crimes (% of victims (15 or older)) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notified third party, total | 48.2 | 54.1 | 40.1 | 55.1 | 40.5 |
| Notified police | 17.9 | 22.0 | 11.9 | 17.1 | 20.8 |
| Notified other person or agency | 45.3 | 46.5 | 35.3 | 49.6 | 27.7 |
| Reported officially to police | 16.3 | 20.8 | 9.8 | 13.3 | 17.7 |
| ¹⁾ Several responses possible. | |||||
The most frequently given reason for not notifying the police of an incident (or making an official report) was that it did not occur to the victim to do so, or they did not consider it important (40 percent), followed by ‘it wouldn't make any difference anyway’ (32 percent).