More people anticipate falling victim to a cyber attack rather than a physical crime, according to a recent survey of US adults, by IT firm IBM.
Despite the convenience and flexibility that online transactions offer, 37 per cent of Americans will not provide credit card information online.
Surveying almost 700 people that have Internet access at work or home, IBM claims that, in the next 12 months, more than three times the number of respondents think it is more likely they will be the victim of a cybercrime (ie, attacked through networked devices such as computers, ATMs, mobile phones, PDAs, etc.) than a physical crime.
This comes as those respondents report that over the last 12 months, incidents of these cybercrimes are already on par with physical crime. Six per cent of respondents purport to have been the victim of a cybercrime within the past 12 months; while only a handful more report having fallen victim to physical crimes (seven percent). One per cent were unsure whether they had been the victim of a cybercrime.
Based on the survey, 70 percent of online shoppers will buy from a trusted website, while more than half of Americans are "very concerned" or "concerned" to buy from an unknown online retailer. In addition, one out of three Americans are "very concerned’ or "concerned" about banking online – either to make a transaction or pay a bill. As a result of these fears, 75 per cent of Americans are already taking precautionary measures to protect themselves. The top reason for taking these precautions is the threat of identity theft – reported by 43 per cent of respondents. Other reported reasons include loss of money (24 per cent) and harm to credit rating (13 per cent).
What they say
"As much as consumers have adopted and embraced technology, they are also aware that with advancement and innovation comes the opportunity to abuse the rapid spread of the electronic world," said Stuart McIrvine, director of IBM’s security strategy. "They are also cognizant that they need to protect themselves from this emerging threat, in much the same way that they would protect themselves from the threat of a physical crime. As awareness of these new threats emerges, it is key that consumers, business and government agencies work together to ensure that everything from education to retail is protected to help alleviate public worry about cybercrimes."
Anxiety about the possibility of a cyber attack leads to changed consumer behaviour, the firm suggests. Thus, the study claims that more than 53 per cent of Americans hold themselves most responsible for protecting themselves from cybercrime, instilling less trust in security companies, law enforcers and websites.
