Police and broadcaster MAX have started a campaign using stickers and flyers to raise awareness about criminals impersonating police officers, mostly targeting the elderly.

Tried and tested scams involve bogus officers ringing their victims and advising them to hand over money, bank cards and jewellery “for safekeeping”. They will then turn up at their door in uniform, often showing fake IDs.

The number of reported incidents continues to rise, police figures show. In the first six months of this year alone, police clocked up 6,496 compared to 8,329 in the whole of 2024.

The problem is underreported because many victims are too ashamed to admit they have fallen for the scam, police said.

“This type of fraud is rampant in the Netherlands,” The Hague police chief Richard Deijs told RTL Nieuws.  The elderly in particular fall victim to scams involving fake policemen, but campaigns on social media are not reaching them, he said. Flyers and stickers may be more effective, he said.

The police sticker, which says “NO soliciting money, bank cards and/or jewellery here!” can be put on doors and is meant to remind people that fake policemen are on the prowl.

The fact that the sticker could also identify the addresses of elderly people is “a downside”, Deijs admitted. “But the sticker is meant for everyone and you can decide where to put it. You can also put it on the inside of the front door, for example.

At the least suspicion of an imposter, call 112, Deijs said. “Police never ask for valuables for safekeeping or otherwise,” he said.