Attempted fraud: Two thirds of users in Germany will be affected in 2020. Cyber criminals use publicly available information to appear legitimate. 87 percent of scam attempts are made via email. Victims lose an average of 46,65 euros.
Fraud attempts (scams) via e-mail, social media or telephone are still current, as a Kaspersky survey now shows. Almost two thirds (64 percent) of those surveyed in Germany experienced an attempt at scam this year - and the fraudsters are targeting their victims' data and money as always. Users often make it very easy for cyber criminals to make an attempt at fraud appear legitimate with freely accessible information, including on social media channels. Because if the name and birthday are publicly available, cyber criminals can appear more convincing and more authentic.
Scammers threaten customers
Scammers are not particularly modern when it comes to luring potential victims into the trap: only half of those surveyed in Germany stated that they attempted scams via text messages (54 percent) on WhatsApp or Telegram or via messages on social Media (51 percent) to have experienced. The majority of fraud attempts are still made via the classic email (87 percent) and telephone calls (76 percent).
Data and amounts of money in sight
In most cases, scammers want to steal money or data:
- According to 41 percent of those surveyed by Kaspersky, personal financial and payment information was requested when attempting fraud;
- At 32 percent, a small payment amount was requested that was supposedly required to distribute a profit
- and 31 percent were asked to transfer funds to a secure account.
Most scams are likely to be successful because the scammers are well prepared and can use information about the potential victims to prove their apparent legitimacy. For example, 28 percent said that the fraudsters had addressed them by their full name and 13 percent that they knew their bank card details. In 17 percent, the fraudsters knew the date of birth.
Scam is a global threat
"Scam is still a major threat for users in Germany, but also worldwide," says Amin Hasbini, security expert at Kaspersky. “Even if the media repeatedly reports of fraud via telephone or e-mails with different thematic hooks - whether it is a relative who needs money or a telephone competition that has to be confirmed with a small payment, many consumers still fall for the scammers continue to be a victim. The criminals take advantage of the good nature and blind trust of the people. Personal or payment details are most frequently requested, which can lead to financial losses or even identity theft. Consumers should be aware that a reputable organization will never ask for such data and should therefore never provide it in response to such a request."
Only 50% of scam victims get their money back
In more than a third of the cases (38 percent), according to the Kaspersky study, the scammers posed as employees of a bank or a financial institution in order to lure their victims into the trap. Those affected lost an average of 46,65 euros per scam incident. 85 percent then informed their bank about the fraud. Only 42 percent got their money back through the bank; 43 percent came away empty-handed. Another 33 percent were successful after contacting law enforcement agencies.
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