A fake webshop set up by the police to raise awareness of online fraud has attracted thousands of visitors, hundreds of whom were ready to make a purchase.

Pakjesdealnu.nl  featured  “attractive offers”, such as a cheap Dyson vacuum cleaner, Playstation 5 or fatbike, police said. When prospective buyers tried to pay for their purchase a warning popped up, telling users about the risk of buying online and how to avoid being conned.

The site was visited by around 12,000 people over a two week period, 90% of whom found the shop via social media, police said. Some 600 had put an item into their shopping baskets. The most popular items were the vacuum cleaner and a coffee maker.

The site, which is still online, offers several clues which buyers should look out for. The chamber of commerce number, for instance, belongs to the police while the address is that of a police station in Heemskerk. Social media buttons also link to the police website.

Positive reviews on the website itself are also fake. A further look on Trustpilot shows comments such as “Bastards!!!” and “Big Fraudsters”.

It’s important to check if you are dealing with a real webshop, police said, particularly in the run-up to Sinterklaas and Christmas. Police received 15,111 reports of webshop-related fraud so far this year, with an average loss of €234 per person.