- Digital scams are now perceived as a threat than other crimes
- Avast Survey claims that 1 in 3 British was the victim of online scams
- Phishing saw an increase of 466% a quarter on site
If you think that digital scams are increasing, you are not alone – a new Avast and neighborhood neighborhood survey has revealed that 92% of British think that cybercrime is as much a threat as other types of crimes.
A little more than one in three respondents say they have been personally the victim of cybercriminals, and many of them have undergone financial loss in the hands of digital crooks.
In particular, phishing scams are increasing, with an increase of 466% a quarter in the neighborhood. The increase in phishing scams is widely attributed to AI, criminals taking advantage of AI tools in order to send more frequent and more sophisticated social engineering attacks. With AI, you need fraudsters just a few minutes to create campaigns that have already taken days.
More financial loss
Unsurprisingly, the British also lose more money, 59% of victims losing up to £ 500. Women lose less than £ 500, and men are more likely to undergo higher losses (between £ 501 and £ 2000).
“As cybercriminals use increasingly sophisticated tactics, staying vigilant online is no longer optional – especially since scams become more difficult to spot and are now hiding in each digital corner,” said Luis Corrons, safety evangelist for Avast.
To protect you from cyber attacks, in particular engineering attacks, the key is to remain vigilant. Make sure to verify in depth all unspeakies, in particular emails or SMS which include a call for action (that is to say “modify your password now”).
Beware of anyone claiming to be a family member or a friend, in particular given developments in in-depth release technologies. The voice and the images can be cloned or faked, so do not send any money to anyone, you are not 100%sure.
It is particularly important to never click on links or attachments you do not trust, and if you need recommendations on how to create a secure password, we have listed some of our best advice here.
