ABN AMRO Research Highlights Digital Data Risks as Dutch Consumers Leave Fraud Clues Online

ABN AMRO Research Highlights Digital Data Risks as Dutch Consumers Leave Fraud Clues Online

(IN BRIEF) ABN AMRO research carried out by Ipsos I&O shows that around one in four people in the Netherlands believe they have nothing worth taking for online fraudsters. The bank warns that this perception is risky because personal data can be valuable to criminals, even when individual pieces of information seem harmless. The research found that 85% of people understand that more personal data allows fraudsters to make scams more convincing, yet many still do not protect their digital information sufficiently. Some 39% of respondents store a copy of their identity document online, rising to 47% among young adults aged 18 to 35. Almost a third, 33%, reuse the same password across multiple accounts. ABN AMRO says criminals combine data from breaches, social media, cookies and other online sources to build profiles and create tailored fraud attempts. The bank advises people to use two-factor authentication, unique passwords, offline storage for identity documents, daily bank account limits, careful cookie settings and more selective sharing of personal information online.

(PRESS RELEASE) AMSTERDAM, 14-Jul-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — New research commissioned by ABN AMRO shows that many people in the Netherlands underestimate how valuable their personal data can be to online fraudsters.

The study, carried out by Ipsos I&O, found that around one in four people in the Netherlands believe they have nothing worth taking for fraudsters. ABN AMRO warns that this assumption is mistaken, as even small pieces of personal information can be used by criminals immediately or stored and combined with other data later.

The research found that 85% of people in the Netherlands understand that the more personal data criminals collect, the more convincing their fraud attempts can become. Despite this awareness, many people still do not adequately protect their digital personal information.

ABN AMRO said fraudsters can use the fragments of information people leave behind every day to build an increasingly detailed picture of potential victims. These “digital breadcrumbs” may include email addresses, accepted cookies, public social media information or data obtained through breaches.

Marco Hendriks, fraud expert at ABN AMRO, said criminals do not act randomly.

“We can see that fraudsters do not act randomly,” said Hendriks. “They collect data from different sources – a data breach here, a public social media profile there. Over the years, the data accumulates. With this knowledge, they build a picture of their target and develop a tailored tactic to persuade you to transfer money yourself.”

The bank said this is why everyone has something worth taking. When criminals combine personal data from different sources, they can assess what may trigger an individual and design a more personalised scam. Modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, can make this process faster and more sophisticated, allowing fraudsters to turn accumulated information into credible and tailored attacks.

The research also found that 39% of people in the Netherlands store a copy of their identity document online. Among young adults aged 18 to 35, this rises to 47%. Nearly a third of respondents, 33%, also reuse the same password for multiple accounts.

ABN AMRO is urging people to take greater care with personal data. The bank said valuable information is not limited to passwords and bank details. A name, address, date of birth and social media information can also help criminals build a profile for fraud.

The bank advises people to set a daily limit on their bank account, use two-factor authentication, choose unique passwords for each account, and store identity documents offline rather than in emails or cloud storage.

ABN AMRO also recommends being selective about sharing personal details on public platforms and carefully managing cookie settings to understand what data is being shared.

The research highlights a notable difference between age groups. Young adults aged 18 to 35 are less likely to worry about fraud, while often leaving a larger data trail online. In this group, 35% believe they have nothing worth taking for fraudsters, compared with 24% among people aged 35 and above.

Young adults are also more likely to store identity documents online, including in email, photo albums or cloud storage. ABN AMRO said that if criminals obtain such documents through a hack or data leak, they can use them for identity fraud, such as making purchases or taking out subscriptions in someone else’s name.

The “I have nothing worth taking” research was carried out by Ipsos I&O on behalf of ABN AMRO in 2026. The representative online survey involved 1,000 people in the Netherlands aged 18 and over and was representative by gender, age, region and education level.

Media Contact:

Jarco de Swart
Head Media relations
jarco.de.swart@nl.abnamro.com
+31 (0)20 6282160

SOURCE: ABN AMRO