Belgium's population is approximately 12 million and more than one in three (4.2 to 4.3 million people) has a migration background. In addition, 14% of the population (1.6 million people) are foreign nationals. This group plays a crucial role in Belgium's society and economy.
In 2022, 7.3 billion dollars in remittances (money transfers abroad) were sent from Belgium. Inclusion and digital safety are therefore not only social priorities, but economic ones too.
Digital vulnerability demands a segmented approach
According to the Digital Inclusion Barometer of the King Baudouin Foundation, 40% of Belgians aged 16 to 74 are digitally vulnerable. What does that mean? 5% have no internet access and 35% have weak digital skills. Digital vulnerability is strongly linked to income, education level and age and two-thirds of this group belong to low-income groups or are low educated.
People with a migration background (the diaspora community) often face additional challenges, such as language barriers, limited networks and often an urgent search for work.
Transferring money to family in the country of origin is a sensitive issue. Financial service providers such as Western Union charge high transaction fees. This is why people with international roots look for alternative ways to send remittances, often through digital, unsafe channels that promise lower margins or costs.
Online fraud: a growing risk
Cybercriminals take advantage of this vulnerability. In Belgium, 49 million euros were stolen through phishing in a single year and 14.6 million euros vanished through investment fraud. Globally, the figures are mind-boggling: over the past 12 months, 442 billion dollars were stolen through online fraud.
By working together with trusted NGOs and diaspora organizations and providing them with neutral, accessible information, we help people feel safer and more confident online.
Why is the diaspora community particularly vulnerable?
Experience has taught us that people with a migration background fall victim to online scams more frequently. We see several reasons for this:
- They often use alternative channels for money transfers, where fraud is more prevalent.
- Cybercriminals target them with scams that are not covered in traditional awareness campaigns. Examples such as ItsMe fraud or Bpost phishing are less familiar to them.
- Their online behaviour ties in with other needs. Their digital activities usually take place on job platforms, trading forums and remittance channels. And these are the channels where criminals take advantage of their vulnerabilities, for example through fake job offers, fraudulent sellers or money transfers that never arrive. Fraudsters sometimes pose as family members in the country of origin, with whom contact only exists online. This allows them to request money in a convincing way, while in reality it concerns extortion or deception.
As a result, people with a migration background miss out on the protection offered by campaigns that focus mainly on other platforms and risks.
Kristof Tyteleers, our Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), puts it this way: "Scams are often highly targeted and specific, which makes general awareness campaigns less effective. By working with trusted NGOs and diaspora organizations and providing them with neutral, accessible information, we can help people feel safer and more confident online."
Cybercriminals tap into existing vulnerabilities. If you don’t speak the language, lack a network or are desperately seeking a job, you’re more vulnerable to online scams.
As an SDG Ambassador, we felt it was our responsibility to take action.
- Our CISO Kristof and sustainability coordinator Sophie delivered an information session at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is connected to the United Nations.
- They informed key figures from diaspora communities about cybersecurity and digital resilience.
- The aim was to empower them and, through the train-the-trainer principle, create a multiplier effect.
Our ambition for 2026
We want to make our awareness campaigns more diverse and more inclusive. We already see opportunities to:
- Use examples that resonate with people with a migration background.
- Collaborate with organisations such as IOM to reach vulnerable target groups.
- Reduce the digital divide so that no one is left behind in our digital society.
We're not only building a secure .be zone, but also a digitally inclusive Belgium.
With this article, we support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.