One in twenty Dutch people has been the victim of identity fraud over the past four years, according to research by Leiden university.

The research covers the years 2008 to 2012 and relates to people who had their personal details stolen with which money was taken from their bank accounts.

On average, they lost €400. In 30% of cases, under €50 was stolen, but there were also cases where thousands of euros was stolen, the research shows.

In the majority of cases the full amount was refunded by the bank, with a total of €300m being repaid over the four years.

The researchers say increasing digitalisation is giving criminals around the world more opportunities to steal people’s identities. However, the police do not have a good picture of the crime because just 10% of victims report it.