Taskforce targets storage spoofing

The expanded taskforce also includes The Commodity Traders (TCT), the Seaport Police District – including its Digital Expertise team – and Ferm Seaports. Together the partners aim to tackle the growing problem of criminals selling non-existent tank storage capacity and commodity inventories via fake websites impersonating legitimate companies.

“Storage spoofing is a form of digitalised crime that affects the economy and the integrity of ports,” said Marijn van Schoote, director of Ferm Seaports. “It is positive that this cooperation ensures continued attention to combatting this type of fraud.”

Storage spoofing causes significant financial damage. Annual losses to traders are estimated at a minimum of €10 million, based on known payments alone. In 2025, deals with a combined offered value of €2.5 billion were reported to the taskforce.

Beyond financial losses, legitimate storage companies suffer reputational harm when their names and data are misused. In some cases, tank trucks have even arrived at terminals to collect products that do not exist.

“Several of our members have been dealing with this for years,” said Willem-Henk Streekstra, director of VOTOB. “It is good to address this issue so actively together with the port authority and other partners. It remains extremely frustrating when your company name is misused and people lose large amounts of money.”

The taskforce maintains a blacklist of more than 1,250 fraudulent domains, which is continuously updated, alongside a whitelist of verified websites. Working with SIDN, fraudulent .nl domains are taken offline, while TCT provides due diligence support to assess suspicious deals.