THE HAGUE – October 20, 2026 | The Dutch Daily
A new WhatsApp scam has reached many people in the Netherlands this week: a message from someone you know asks you to vote for “the daughter of a friend” in a contest. The link opens a voting site, asks for your phone number and then a code, and that code gives criminals access to your WhatsApp account. NOS reports that the method is called GhostPairing, and that the Fraudehelpdesk received dozens of reports in a few days. This guide explains how the trick works, how to check your account right now and what to do if it has already happened.
WhatsApp scam Netherlands: quick answer
- The message: a contact asks you to vote for a friend’s daughter in a free dance lesson contest.
- The trap: the voting site asks for your phone number and then a code; entering it links the criminals’ device to your account.
- The name: GhostPairing, which abuses WhatsApp’s multi-device feature.
- Check now: open “Gekoppelde apparaten” (Linked devices) and log out any device you do not recognise.
- Rule of thumb from the government: give yourself three counts (“drie tellen”) before you click, respond or pay. In doubt? Click away.
Contents
1. How this WhatsApp scam works
NOS describes the steps of this WhatsApp scam as follows:
- You get a WhatsApp message from someone you know. It asks you to vote for their friend’s daughter in a free dance lesson contest.
- The link opens a website where you can cast your vote.
- To “confirm” your vote, the site asks for your phone number.
- It then shows a code that you enter.
- That code links the criminals’ device to your WhatsApp account. In NOS’s words: you think you are confirming your vote, but in reality you give criminals access to your WhatsApp account.
- The criminals can now read your messages and send messages in your name to friends and family, which spreads the scam further.
The message looks harmless because it comes from a contact. That is exactly the point: the sender may already be a victim, as the example in section 3 shows. There, NOS says the criminals sent the link to all the victim’s contacts after she entered her number and code. This chain effect is what makes the WhatsApp scam spread so quickly: every new victim becomes the next sender, and each message arrives from a name you trust.
2. What GhostPairing is, the method behind the WhatsApp scam
NOS says the method is called GhostPairing (“spookkoppeling” in Dutch). It abuses the function that lets WhatsApp run on several devices at the same time, such as when you link a laptop. A Fraudehelpdesk spokesperson told NOS the trick is “terribly misleading” and that the many data leaks make this kind of fraud easier for scammers. The Fraudehelpdesk recognises the trick and received dozens of reports over the past few days.
A related, earlier warning on our site covers voice-cloning and fake “bank helpdesk” calls: see our scam alert for expats and the Odido hacker voice scam guide.
3. What the WhatsApp scam looked like for one victim
NOS spoke with a woman who fell for the message. The site said only five more votes were needed. After she entered her phone number and the code, the criminals sent the link to all her contacts. She received about a hundred messages telling her she had been hacked, and some of her contacts also clicked the link. She says she spent about an hour and a half warning people. WhatsApp blocked her account, probably as a precaution, so she could no longer use WhatsApp or her school app group.
4. Check your linked devices now: first defence against the WhatsApp scam
NOS gives these steps to see whether a stranger’s device is linked to your account:
- Open “Gekoppelde apparaten” (Linked devices). On an iPhone it is under “Jij” (You); on Android it is behind the three dots.
- If you see a device you do not recognise, select it and choose “Meld af” (Log out).
The Fraudehelpdesk adds that criminals can keep reading along through linked devices, and advises you to log out of all linked devices: three dots, “Gekoppelde apparaten”, scroll down and tap “Afmelden op alle apparaten”. Menu names can change between app versions, so look for the same words in your own language setting.
5. If the WhatsApp scam got your account
The Fraudehelpdesk’s page “Mijn WhatsApp-account is gehackt” gives these steps. The page shows no publication date, so check that the menus still match your app:
- Confirm the takeover. You cannot log in, or friends receive messages in your name.
- Get your account back. Log in to WhatsApp and verify with the 6-digit code sent by SMS. When you enter it, the other person is logged out automatically.
- Never share that SMS code with anyone.
- If you are asked for a two-step verification code you did not set, someone else may have switched it on. In that case you have to wait 7 days before you can log in again.
- Switch on two-step verification once you have access: three dots at the top right, Settings, Account, “Verification in two steps”.
- Log out of all linked devices as described above.
These steps matter because a hijacked WhatsApp account is more than an annoyance: the criminals send messages in your name, so your friends and family become the next targets of the WhatsApp scam. The Fraudehelpdesk telephone number on that page is 088 – 7867372, and the site has a page to report fraud (fraudehelpdesk.nl/fraude-melden/). The government’s campaign site laatjenietinterneppen.nl also explains what to do if you have become a victim of online crime.
6. The government campaign and the click-regret survey
The WhatsApp scam arrived in the same week as a national awareness push about online fraud.
On 19 October 2026 the Ministry of Justice and Security and the Ministry of the Interior launched the campaign “Laat je niet interneppen”. Its main advice is “Give yourself three counts before you click, respond or pay” (“drie tellen”), said police project leader Aad Lensen, and “Twijfel je? Klik dan weg” (In doubt? Click away). Minister David van Weel said online criminals know exactly how to put you under pressure so that you ignore your doubts.
The campaign came with a survey by Kien Onderzoek among 1,578 Dutch adults, held from 23 to 28 September 2026 (maximum margin of error 2.5%):
- 94% sometimes doubt whether a link, ad or message is trustworthy.
- About 4 in 10 have regretted a click (“klikspijt”), and for one third of them it had consequences, such as financial loss, stolen personal data or malware.
- People doubt most when an offer seems too good to be true (73%), when they must pay or share data immediately (69%) and when there is time pressure (55%).
- Of those with click regret, 45% were rushed or distracted, and 46% said they did not look carefully enough or acted too quickly.
7. How to protect yourself from the WhatsApp scam
Our tips (not from the sources):
- Do not open voting, contest or “help my child” links in WhatsApp, even from a friend. If you want to be sure, ask the friend through a phone call or in person whether they really sent it.
- Never type a code that you receive by SMS or see on a website into a page you reached through a chat message. The Fraudehelpdesk says never share the SMS code.
- Look at your linked devices every few weeks, not just after a scare.
- If a friend writes that they were hacked, do not answer through WhatsApp only; warn them through another channel.
- If you are new to the Netherlands, tell your family at home too: the same trick works in any country.
What to tell family and colleagues
The government’s survey shows why a calm conversation helps: 94% of Dutch adults sometimes doubt whether a link, ad or message is trustworthy, and about 4 in 10 have regretted a click. Feeling foolish after clicking is therefore common, and the Rijksoverheid even gave it a name, “klikspijt”. If you are hacked, saying so quickly to your contacts limits the damage. If a friend writes that they were hacked, do not click anything they sent, and tell them to check their linked devices.
8. FAQ
What is GhostPairing in this WhatsApp scam?
According to NOS, a method that abuses WhatsApp’s multi-device feature: a code you enter on a fake site links the criminals’ device to your account.
I clicked the vote link but did not enter anything. Am I safe?
The NOS description says the damage happens when you enter your phone number and then the code. Still, check your linked devices to be sure.
How do I see if my WhatsApp is linked to another device?
Open “Gekoppelde apparaten” (under “Jij” on iPhone, behind the three dots on Android) and log out any device you do not recognise.
What if I cannot log in anymore?
Log in again with the 6-digit SMS code, which logs the other person out. If you are asked for a two-step verification code that you did not set, someone else may have enabled it, and you may have to wait 7 days.
Who can I ask for help after the WhatsApp scam?
The Fraudehelpdesk (088 – 7867372) and laatjenietinterneppen.nl.
🇳🇱 Dutch Corner
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| De oplichting | Fraud, scam |
| De oplichter | Scammer |
| Het gekoppelde apparaat | Linked device |
| Afmelden | To log out |
| De verificatiecode | Verification code |
| Het account | Account |
| De klikspijt | Click regret |
| De melding | Report |
| De twijfel | Doubt |
Sources
- NOS, 19 October 2026: ‘Stem op de dochter van mijn vriendin’: criminelen kapen je WhatsApp met nieuwe truc (steps, GhostPairing, victim, Fraudehelpdesk, linked devices)
- Fraudehelpdesk: Mijn WhatsApp-account is gehackt (recovery steps, 7-day wait, two-step verification, phone number)
- Rijksoverheid, 19 October 2026: We twijfelen allemaal, maar klikken toch: vier op de tien heeft weleens klikspijt (campaign, survey figures, quotes)
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