Anyone who moves on the Internet must expect to come across criminals. Cybercrime continues to ramp up.
According to a survey, three quarters of Internet users are affected by cybercrime. On the other hand, 22 percent stated that they had had no experience with malware, fraud when shopping online or insults on social networks, according to the survey published by the Bitkom industry association on Monday. In 2021, 21 percent said they were not affected. In 2020 the share was 34 percent, in 2019 it was 40 percent.
Anyone who moves on the Internet must expect to meet criminals, said Bitkom CEO Bernhard Rohleder according to the announcement. “That’s why it’s important that everyone takes appropriate security measures – from using strong passwords to installing virus protection software and sharing personal information sparingly.”
According to the survey, almost half of the users reported that personal data was passed on unsolicited. 29 percent were victims of fraud when shopping online and 13 percent in money transactions. In 27 percent, the computer was infected with malicious programs such as viruses. 17 percent noticed such incidents on their smartphones. According to the survey, there were also numerous criminal offenses in direct interaction with other users. 23 percent were seriously insulted or attacked. 9 percent were sexually harassed – with 13 percent women were affected more often than men (6 percent).
A third of those affected did not react to the incidents, as the association further announced. Around half sought to talk to friends and acquaintances. Almost half also contacted the company that was connected with the criminal activity, such as the social media platform, the bank or the e-mail provider. 18 percent filed criminal charges with the police.
