A new study conducted by iYogi Insights, the research division of leading independent provider of on-demand tech support services, reveals that nearly 30 percent Americans have been victims of cybercrime including identity theft, credit card fraud and online scams. Based on a survey of more than 2,000 iYogi customers, the research also reveals that while as many as 10 percent victims have been targets of all three crimes, yet nearly 20% do not use any protection for their computers while surfing the web. As the world moves online with 78% respondents claiming that they use the Internet for shopping and banking, it is only natural the fraudsters and criminals too have moved online. But as a slew of cyber crime plague people transacting online, the United States remain in the bottom five protected countries with 19.32 percent Americans surfing without protection compared to a global average of 17 per cent. One out of every six PCs has no anti-virus protection.

1. consumer research
INSIGHTS
ON IDENTITY THEFT AND CYBERCRIME

2. 30%
Nearly
are victims of
CYBER THEFT!
78%
RESPONDENTS USE THE
19%
AMERICANS SURF THE
10%
OF THE VICTIMS HAVE
INTERNET FOR BANKING NET WITHOUT BEEN DECEIVED ON
OR SHOPPING. PROTECTION ONLINE SCAMS, ID
THEFT AND CREDIT
CARD FRAUD.
15%
PEOPLE KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN
SUBJECTED TO SOME KIND OF FRAUD OR
SCAM.
10%
DON’T CONSIDER THEIR
CREDIT CARD NUMBER AS
SENSITIVE INFORMATION
ONE OUT OF THREE
RESPONDENTS HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO
ONLINE SCAMS, ID THEFT OR CREDIT
CARD FRAUD.

3. THE WORLD HAS MOVED ONLINE!
78.43%
RESPONDENTS USE THE
INTERNET FOR BANKING OR
SHOPPING. THIS REFLECTS
THE GENERAL TREND.
According to comScore, US retail ecommerce spending (Q1: 2012) pushed past
$44 billion, that is a 17% Year over Year increase. The hottest product categories
included Digital Content/Subscriptions, Computer Software and Electronics. In
2011, 53% of the population bought something online, according to a Forrester
study. In fact, the total amount spent on shopping online is projected to rise from
a $1207 in 2011 to an astounding $1738 by 2016. That’s the average number of
dollars the American consumer is expected to spend annually on online shopping.

4. NATURALLY, THE FRAUDSTERS
ARE NOW ONLINE, TOO!
ONLINE SCAMS
CREDIT CARD
FRAUD
Nearly 30%
RESPONDENTS HAVE BEEN SUBJECT
TO ONLINE SCAMS, ID THEFT OR
CREDIT CARD FRAUD.
ID THEFT
Given the rising revenues being garnered by online retail, it is only logical that this
field will attract sophisticated cyber thieves. The number of people being victims
of frauds and scams is going up every day. Identity theft and data theft is on the
rise. The scams are many, unique and ever changing in the way they are
presented so that they can fool most online users. From fake online shopping
portals that resemble the original almost down to every detail, malicious coding,
phishing attacks, and infected email attachments – today, scammers use a variety
of ways to grab personal information and financial data. The survey shows that
there is cause for serious concern. Three out of ten respondents have been duped
in some way or the other while transacting online.
William LeGro of Silver Lake frequently shops online, but when he contacted Bank
of America recently to inform the bank that he was making an online buying
transaction, an anti-fraud precaution few of us normally take, he was told that his
Visa card had been compromised as a business he'd bought things from had
been penetrated by hackers and that numerous Visa accounts had been
compromised. No other details were forthcoming. Even the IRS has not been
spared – in fact it has acknowledged that identity theft tax fraud –- stealing
someone’s Social Security number to file a fake tax return and collect a bogus
refund –- is one of the most complex issues it deals with.

5. PEOPLE ARE BEING
CHEATED AGAIN AND AGAIN!
ONLINE SCAMS
ID THEFT
CREDIT CARD FRAUD
Nearly 10%
OF THE VICTIMS HAVE BEEN
FRAUDED ON ALL THREE COUNTS:
ONLINE SCAMS, ID THEFT
AND CREDIT CARD FRAUD.
It sounds almost incredulous that someone could be made a victim three times
over. However, 10% of the victims have been duped on three occasions, if not
more. That speaks volumes about the ingenuity of the online con artists and
thieves. Cybercriminals go to great lengths to cheat consumers. They make their
operations look legitimate, they frequently manipulate search engine results and
run professional-looking websites in order to make fake brands seem authentic,
using country-specific scripts for cold calls. They also use the latest technology
and a deep understanding of the human pyche to fool victims, often more than
once. Meghan Bach discovered last year that her husband’s identity had been
stolen and a fake tax refund collected in his name; she spent nearly 200 hours to
sort out the issue with the IRS and other agencies involved. She thought it was
behind her until the family came back from vacation, only to realize that his identity
had been stolen once again.

6. EVERY SIXTH RESPONDENT
HAS A FRIEND WHO IS A VICTIM
At least 15%
PEOPLE KNOW SOMEONE WHO
HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO SOME
KIND OF FRAUD OR SCAM..
At one time, it used to be that we
were only separated by six
degrees of introduction from
anyone on earth. Well, today, it
seems that we’re also all
separated probably by just six
degrees of fraud! The number of
online frauds being perpetrated
is so high that it is no more an
uncommon occurrence. Many respondents have victims in their circle of family
and friends. It is increasingly cause for serious concern. Also, cases of mass
data theft are on the rise - such as the Sony Play Station identity theft case or
the LinkedIn hacked accounts or the recent credit card heist where nearly ten
million Visa and Master card customers had their data stolen. Released by
Javelin Strategy & Research, a study reports that in 2011, identity fraud
increased by 13 percent. More than 11.6 million adults became a victim of
identity fraud in the United States

7. AMAZINGLY,
ONE IN FIVE AMERICANS
HAVE NO ONLINE SECURITY.
19.32%
AMERICANS SURF THE NET
WITHOUT PROTECTION!
A recent study by McAfee puts
the US in the bottom 5 protected
countries. 19.32% of Americans
surf the net without protection
compared to the global average
of 17%. One in six PCs have
zero anti-virus protection.
“Browsing the internet on an exposed computer not only increases the risk of
identity theft and data loss, but it can contribute to the spread of harmful
programs and nasty viruses,” the security firm states. Consumers naively
believe that by sticking to safe sites, they will escape virus threats and
cyber-theft and malicious content. The truth is that attacks are becoming
increasingly sophisticated and these are rising at an alarming rate. In addition,
mobile usage has led to the new upsurge of mobile malware, which is an
immediate threat, considering the amount of personal data like credit card and
financial information stored on mobile devices, and which can be easily
accessed.

8. MOST PEOPLE ARE IGNORANT ABOUT
WHAT CONSTITUTES A SECURITY
RISK ONLINE.
30%
30% FULL NAME
DATE OF BIRTH DON’T GET WHY HACKERS
WOULD FIND THIS VALUABLE
DON’T SEE WHY REVEALING
THEIR FULL NAME COULD CAUSE
THEM HARM
11% BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER
CREDIT CARD NUMBER
10%
DON’T THINK THIS
DON’T REGARD THIS AS A NOT- IS CRITICAL INFO
TO-BE-DISCLOSED FACT
73% EMPLOYER’S NAME
DESIGNATION 71%
DON’T CONSIDER THIS DON’T AGREE THAT
INFO AS PRIVATE THIS IS SENSITIVE INFO
40% ADDRESS
DON’T SEE WHY THEIR
ADDRESS SHOULD
BE KEPT PRIVATE PERSONAL
EMAIL ID 40%
5%
DON’T THINK THIS IS
SCARIEST OF ALL CRITICAL INFO
ACTUALLY THINK NONE
OF THIS IS SENSITIVE
INFORMATION!
Amazingly, many of us seem to be completely unaware of the sensitive
information that we reveal and which could be used to steal our hard-earned
money. Social media such Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are huge leaks of
critical, personal data. A study released by Javelin Strategy & Research, stated
that specifically, 68 percent of people with public social media profiles shared their
birthday information (with 45 percent sharing month, date and year); 63 percent
shared their high school name; 18 percent shared their phone number; and 12
percent shared their pet’s name The scary bit is that all these are prime examples
of personal information that a company would use to verify your identity.
Clearly, there are some of us who are willing to reveal personal data without
realizing how dangerous it could be to our own online security; making them a
delight for hackers, scamsters and fraudsters. They are a soft and easy target for
alert cyber thieves, always on the lookout for such victims.

9. METHODOLOGY
This iYogi Insights research on Consumer Experience with Identity Theft and
Cybercrime seeks to understand average consumer behaviour on cybercrime and
identity theft. In this age of new-age technologies, social media and information
sharing, does the average Joe or Jane understand what constitutes sensitive
information and how he or she often may unknowingly increase their own
vulnerability to hackers and cyber theft.
The survey was conducted on iYogi subscribers through an online form following
their support sessions. A total of 1970 respondents filled the online survey form
consisting of 10 detailed questions on their understanding of online security,
cybercrime, information sharing and related issues. The data collected was then
collated, analyzed and compared to identify, assess and quantify trends and
patterns.
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"Affiliation of any third party organization is not implied, unless expressly stated."