The arrests for bank help desk fraud took place at the end of January. In this form of crime, fraudsters pose as bank employees. They approach people and entice them to transfer their money.
The criminals may have used these email addresses for their own practices, but the data is also interesting for other forms of crime. For example, criminals can send emails in the hope that victims will enter personal details: phishing.
Millions of email addresses
Of the more than 7 million email addresses found, 5 million are Dutch. According to the police, it is possible that many Dutch people are victims of this without even knowing it.
“Lists with e-mail addresses and other personal data are often traded in the criminal circuit,” says RTL News tech journalist Stan Hulsen. “Email addresses are especially interesting if they are linked to other data, such as your name, date of birth, bank account number and telephone number.”
Big consequences
With phishing, cyber criminals send emails that cannot be distinguished from the real thing, for example in the name of a bank or a company. They often try to entice you to enter personal information.
“The more information a criminal has about you, the more credible such a message can be,” says Hulsen. “Sometimes cyber criminals even use techniques that make it seem as if the sender’s email address really belongs to the webshop. So it is not always clear that you are dealing with a scam.”
When you click on links in these types of emails, the consequences can be serious. If you think you are logging in to an online store, but the site belongs to a criminal, they can find out your password. This allows them, for example, to order expensive products in your name.
According to the police, the arrest of the six suspects does not mean that the threat is over. The lists are still circulating among criminals and the phishing continues. So be alert and do not enter any personal data, is the advice of the police.
“Look carefully at the sender’s email address,” says tech journalist Hulsen. According to him, it is wise to look critically at these types of emails.
“Think carefully if you just receive a message. Why would you suddenly have to log in again or provide your details? Is this also on the company website?”
Check yourself
You can check whether your email address is on the lists found via the police website (politie.nl/checkjehack). If your email address is in the list, you will receive an email with tips and information about what you can do best. This email contains no links or attachments, the police emphasize.
If you don’t hear anything afterwards, then you were not among the victims of this network. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that your email address isn’t circulating.
Criminals trade in many such lists. The regulator even says that everyone should in principle assume that their data has been leaked.
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