- Digital scams are now perceived as just as much of a threat as other crimes
- Avast survey claims 1 in 3 Brits have fallen victim to online scams
- Phishing has seen a 466% rise quarter-on-quarter
If you think digital scams are on the rise, you’re not alone – a new survey from Avast and Neighbourhood Watch has revealed 92% of Brits believe that cybercrime is as much of a threat as other types of crime.
Just over one in three respondents say they have been personally victimised by cybercriminals, and many of these have suffered financial loss at the hands of digital scammers.
In particular, phishing scams are on the rise, with a 466% rise quarter-on-quarter. The rise in phishing scams is largely attributed to AI, with criminals leveraging AI tools in order to send more frequent and more sophisticated social engineering attacks. With AI, it takes fraudsters just a few minutes to craft campaigns that would have previously taken days.
More financial loss
Unsurprisingly, Brits are losing more money too, with 59% of victims losing up to £500. Women more commonly lose under £500, and men are more likely to suffer higher losses (between £501 and £2000, and £2000+).
“As cybercriminals use increasingly sophisticated tactics, staying vigilant online is no longer optional – especially as scams are becoming harder to spot and now lurking around every digital corner,” said Luis Corrons, Security Evangelist for Avast.
To protect yourself from cyberattacks, especially engineering attacks, the key is staying vigilant. Make sure to thoroughly check any unsuspected communications, especially emails or texts that include a call to action (i.e. ‘change your password now’).
Be very wary of anyone claiming to be a family member or friend, especially given the developments in deep-fake technologies. Voice and images can be cloned or faked, so don’t send money to anyone you aren’t 100% sure is real.
Particularly important is to remember to never click any links or attachments that you don’t trust, and if you need recommendations on how to create a secure password, we’ve listed some of our top tips here.
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