Online fraud affects millions of Europeans every year, with both financial and emotional consequences. In 2024, over one million Dutch consumers fell victim to unsafe webshops. These fake online stores are becoming increasingly professional, making them hard to distinguish from legitimate ones. That’s why Thuiswinkel.org — the Dutch organisation behind the Thuiswinkel Waarborg quality label — launched the campaign “Neem geen risico. Check het logo.” (“Don’t take risks. Check the logo.”) to help consumers identify trustworthy webshops and prevent purchase fraud.
‘Was het maar zo duidelijk’ (“If only it were that obvious”)
‘Was het maar zo duidelijk’ is the creative concept behind the campaign. Unfortunately, fraudulent webshops are anything but easy to spot. With technologies such as AI, it has become even harder to tell real from fake. The result: products that never arrive and websites that vanish overnight. Through relatable, everyday examples, Thuiswinkel.org shows how one simple check — the Thuiswinkel Waarborg logo — can quickly provide certainty about a webshop’s reliability. Retailers displaying this quality label undergo an annual certification process covering legislation, security, and financial stability.
Online shopping should be easy and safe
“As Thuiswinkel.org, we feel partly responsible for a safe e-commerce experience,” says Paul Nijhof, interim managing director at Thuiswinkel.org. “Although purchase fraud does not involve our members, we want to help consumers make safe choices when shopping online. E-commerce should be both convenient and secure. Fraudsters are becoming smarter, so consumers must remain alert. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is.”
Purchase fraud is a growing problem
Around shopping peaks such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the holiday season, online traffic increases sharply and fake lookalike sites appear more often. Practical tools can help consumers avoid disappointment, especially during these periods. When in doubt, check the logo and verify the registration. This single step significantly reduces the risk of becoming a victim of purchase fraud. In addition to checking the Thuiswinkel Waarborg quality mark, the campaign also shares other practical tips to identify warning signs.
Making conscious choices for a trustworthy digital economy
The campaign was created in collaboration with True Ideas. Jeroen Ritsema, founder of True Ideas: “In an era where online trust is more important than ever, the Thuiswinkel Waarborg label is highly relevant. With this campaign, we help consumers make conscious and safe choices. Together with the certified webshops affiliated with Thuiswinkel.org, we contribute to a more transparent and reliable digital economy.”
How to spot fake webshops during the festive season
- Check the URL and the price. Illogical or unusually long URLs and suspiciously low or strange prices (for example, €19.22) are red flags. Scammers often use such tricks to appear legitimate.
- Verify the quality label. Click on the Thuiswinkel Waarborg logo and check in the official member register whether the webshop is genuinely certified.
- Check company details. Confirm that the Chamber of Commerce number, address and return information exist and match official public records — a standard step for Dutch webshops.
More information on how to recognise fake webshops can be found at www.thuiswinkelwaarborg.nl.
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