WARNING: Fake emails about the "2026 Municipal Energy Survey"

There are phishing emails circulating in which residents are supposedly invited, on behalf of municipalities, to participate in the “2026 Municipal Energy Survey.” In these emails, residents are supposedly invited, on behalf of municipalities, to participate in the “2026 Municipal Energy Survey.” As a reward, participants have a chance to win gift cards from stores such as bol, Coolblue, IKEA, or HEMA.

These emails are not from the municipality of Zoetermeer and are likely intended to steal personal information.

Do not click on links or enter any information

The fraudulent emails are sent from suspicious email addresses and link to websites that are not operated by the Dutch government. The municipality of Zoetermeer is not affiliated with the senders of these messages.

Have you received an email like this?

  • Do not click on any links in the message.
  • Do not fill out the survey.
  • Do not share any personal or financial information.
  • Delete the message from your inbox right away.

Did you click on a link or enter any information after all?

In that case, take the following steps as soon as possible:

  1. Please contact your bank if you have shared your banking information.
  2. Run a virus scan on your device.
  3. Change your passwords immediately and enable two-step verification wherever possible.
  4. Report the phishing email to the Fraud Help Desk at www.fraudehelpdesk.nl. You can also call them for advice at 088-7867372.
  5. File a police report if you discover that your personal information has been misused or if money has been stolen from your account.

Stay alert

Criminals frequently try to obtain personal information or login credentials via email. Therefore, always be cautious with messages that ask you to click on links or share personal information.