According to a new study by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International, nearly half of respondents who lost money in fraudulent online transactions did not get all — or sometimes any — of their funds back. Losses can be significant, too: The average sum stolen by cybercriminals was $218; 18 percent of respondents reported a loss in excess of $1,000, a press release from Kaspersky said.
In the “Consumer Security Risks Survey 2014” only 56 percent of participants reported that they could fully recoup their losses. Sixteen percent said they received only partial compensation, and 28 percent said they couldn’t recover any money at all. In the United States, fraud victims had better luck, with 72 percent of U.S. participants reporting that they were able to get their money back.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that not everyone is fully aware of the danger of cyber fraud, Kaspersky said. Sixteen percent of respondents believe that online crimes involving stolen money are rare occurrences that will not happen to them. However, statistics show that about 43 percent of consumers faced financial cyber threats at least once during the previous year.
The Consumer Security Risks Survey study was conducted from May to June 2014 via an online survey of 11,135 people age 16 or older in 23 countries.
(ATMMarketplace)
