- Digital scams are now perceived as a threat as large as other crimes
- The claims of the Avast 1 survey every 3 British have been victims of online scams
- Phishing has seen a 466% increase in the quarter
If you believe that digital scams are increasing, it is not alone: a new Avast survey and the neighborhood clock has revealed that 92% of the British believe that cyber crime is a threat as large as other types of crimes.
Little more than one in three respondents say they have been personally victimized by cybercriminals, and many of these have suffered financial losses at the hands of digital scammers.
In particular, phishing scams are increasing, with a 466% increase in the quarter against quarter. The increase in Phishing scams is greatly attributed to AI, with criminals who take advantage of AI tools to send more frequent and more sophisticated social engineering attacks. With AI, the scammers take only a few minutes to create campaigns that would have taken days previously.
More financial loss
As expected, the British are also losing more money, with 59% of the victims who lose up to £ 500. women most commonly lose less than £ 500, and men are more likely to suffer higher losses (between £ 501 and £ 2000, and £ 2000+).
“As cybercriminals use increasingly sophisticated tactics, remaining online vigilant is no longer optional, especially because scams are becoming more difficult to detect and now stalking in each digital corner,” said Luis Corrons, evangelist of security for Avast.
To protect yourself from cyber attacks, especially engineering attacks, the key is to remain attentive. Be sure to thoroughly verify any unsuspected communication, especially emails or text messages that include a call to action (that is, ‘change your password now’).
Be very careful with anyone who claims to be a family member or friend, especially given the developments in deep fake technologies. The voice and images can be cloned or falsified, so do not send money to anyone who is not 100% sure to be real.
Particularly important is never to click on any attachments or files in which you do not trust, and if you need recommendations on how to create a safe password, we have listed some of our best tips here.
