One in four Dutch are not using the fraud protection features for their current account

Of the people surveyed, 72% said they are concerned to a greater or lesser extent about becoming a victim of online scams. Of the respondents who have set a daily spending limit for both their debit card and their current account (53%), 80% say that this makes them feel safer. The findings also show that the vast majority do not feel inconvenienced by this limit when using their card for a large purchase in shops or when transferring large sums online, for example.

“Online crime and fraud is a growing problem, which unfortunately still affects many Dutch people,” says Neiske Ritsma, Fraud & Secure Banking project manager at ABN AMRO. “Setting a daily spending limit for your debit card and current account or a payment alert can make it more difficult for cybercriminals to quickly steal as much money from you as possible. So you should consider what you are willing to do to get that additional security for your account without inconvenience. These security measures are seldom experienced as restrictive in practice and the limit can also be changed back at any time, like when you are planning to make a large purchase.”

Digital security

Adding additional security to your PC or mobile device using security software seems to be well established among the Dutch: 87% say they make use of this. Other channels lag behind though. For example, 65% of the Dutch use two-step verification for online services like email, WhatsApp and social media accounts. Find my phone/device has been installed/set up by 58%. For their debit card, 65% of the Dutch have adjusted the daily spending limit downwards from the default limit and 67% have set a limit for their current account.

These were the main findings from the study:

• 23% of the Dutch have not set a daily spending limit for their debit card or bank account(s)

• More than half (53%) have set this for both the debit card and their bank account

• 80% of those who have set a daily spending limit for their debit card and/or bank account(s) feel safer as a result

• 70% of the Dutch who have set a daily spending limit for their debit card and/or current account(s) do not experience any inconvenience as a result

• Two thirds of the Dutch state that they feel it is really necessary to add extra protection to your current account.

With its #eliminatefraud campaign, ABN AMRO wants to encourage people to use the security features to add an extra level of protection to their current and savings accounts. The aim is of course to protect their money, but also save themselves an unpleasant experience when they unwittingly fall for fraud tactics, such as a phishing email, text message or phone call from scammers. This way, the bank hopes to cut the number of fraud victims and further limit the financial damage caused by online scams for its clients.

About the survey

Ipsos conducted this representative survey in April 2023 on behalf of ABN AMRO. One thousand Dutch residents aged 18 and older, representative in terms of gender, age and region, participated in the study.