A quarter of us affected by cybercrime in the last year, says report
Norton Cyber Security Insights Report shows hackers are honing their skills to take advantage of complacent consumers.
13.8 million Brits have been victims of online crime in the past year as hackers take advantage of consumer complacency.
Dealing with the consequences of cybercrime has cost UK consumers £1.8 billion overall, and an average of 11.5 hours per victim.
But despite this, Brits affected by cybercrime in the past year are the most likely to continue engaging in risky online behavior, leaving themselves vulnerable to further attacks.
The report, a survey of nearly 21,000 consumers globally, including more than 6,000 across six European countries, sheds a light on the impact of cybercrime.
It reveals that while consumer awareness of cybercrime is growing, many are complacent about protecting their personal information.
More than three-quarters know they must actively protect their information online, yet are still willing to click on links or open malicious attachments from senders they don’t know.
Cybercrime has affected almost a quarter of British consumers, with the number impacted increasing by over one million since last year.
Whilst the overall cost to consumers is decreasing, the amount of time spent dealing with the fall out has increased by 2.5 hours per individual.
Millennials are the most commonly affected by online crime, with 36 per cent having experienced it within the past year.
Frequent travellers, parents, and men were also likely to report higher incidents of cybercrime.
Consumer complacency and risky online behaviours are helping hackers reap rewards from their efforts as they continue to hone their craft and adapt scams. Although phishing scams have been around for more than two decades, nearly a quarter are unable to identify a phishing attack.