How to Become a Victim of Cybercrime

Have you been a victim of Cyber Crime? Check out the statistics of Cyber Crime-related information compiled by Norton by Symantec. You will be surprised which age group is most prone to become the victims of Cybercrime. No, it is not the old people.

BTW, if you have read the title of this blog post, you must think I must be crazy to show people how they can be a victim of cybercrime. If you read the various cybercrime information below, I am sure you have done some of the things that you should NOT have done so. Agree?

Thanks to Norton by Symantec for the invite, a few of us had a wonderful discussion on Cyber Crime based on the Norton Cyber Security Insights Report (NCSIR).

They had also invited Singapore Actor, Edmund Chen (陈之财, Chen Zhicai), to share his bad experiences related to cybercrime. Read the Press Release below to learn about his bad experiences.

Most of our discussion revolves around the agony of parents controlling their children, especially teenagers, going online.

There are no definite answers on how a parent should control their child’s online usage. It all depends on needs. What I think (after the discussion) is that parent should set rules and align their expectation with their children in order to be effective.

Below is more information on Cyber Crime. Do take some time to read them. But before that, here is some background on NCSIR

About the Norton Cyber Security Insights Report (NCSIR)

The Norton Cyber Security Insights Report is an online survey of 21,549 individuals ages 18+ across 20 markets, commissioned by Norton by Symantec and produced by research firm Reputation Leaders. The margin of error for the total sample is +/-.7%. The Singapore sample reflects input from 1,037 adults ages 18+. The margin of error is +/- 3.0% for the total Singapore sample. Data was collected Oct. 5 – Oct. 24, 2017 by Reputation Leaders.

One of the surprising information from the report is that Millennials (Gen Z) are the most common victims of cybercrime. I thought it might be the senior people who are less Internet-savvy to be the victims.

And in Singapore, based on the survey, one in two people have been affected by cybercrime. This is way higher than I thought. Check out the few Infographics below to understand more.

Here is the Press Release

Press Release

Actor Edmund Chen Raises Cyber Crime Awareness with Norton by Symantec

2017 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report reveals one in two Singaporeans identified as victims of cyber crime; Edmund to share his personal experience with cyber crime at 11 July event

Singapore – 11 July, 2018 – Consumers are confident they are safe online but hackers have proven otherwise, stealing USD172 billion from 978 million consumers in 20 countries in the past year, according to the Norton by Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) 2017 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report (NCSIR) released today. The effects of cyber crime can extend beyond pure monetary impact as actor Edmund Chen can attest. Mr. Chen joined Norton by Symantec for an event to present the results of the NCSIR and discuss his experiences.

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“Recently, I unwittingly shared my account password with a stranger who claimed to know personal details about me and my family, and chaos ensued,” said actor Edmund Chen. “My friends started receiving emails from ‘me’ stating that I was in trouble overseas and requesting money. It was shocking to see the interconnectivity between our online information and daily activities and how it makes us vulnerable to cyber crime. Cyber crime is not a generation-specific issue. It is real and can target you at any point of your life.”

The 2017 NCSIR identified shared characteristics among cyber crime victims globally. They are everyday consumers who use multiple devices whether at home or on the go, but have a blind spot when it comes to cyber security basics. This group tends to use the same password across multiple accounts or share it with others.

In Singapore, one in two surveyed were victims of cyber crime, of which 60 percent experienced cyber crime in the past 12 months. Other highlights from the 2017 NCSIR on Singaporeans’ online behavior include:

  • On average, a Singaporean consumer spent 14.6 hours dealing with the aftermath of a cyber event with the most time spent in the past 12 months on:
    • Making a purchase online that turned out to be a scam (76.3 hours)
    • Credit or debit card fraud (44.4 hours)
    • A device infected by a virus or other security threat (27 hours)
  • 56 percent have been able to determine an email they received was spam primarily because it included a link or attachment which seemed suspicious
  • 82 percent believe law enforcement and internet companies should ramp up cyber security measures
  • Consumers believe that teenagers, online gamers and those who are heavy users of social media are most likely to become a victim of cyber crime
  • More than half (56 percent) of surveyed consumers believe that it is more important than ever to know how to protect their privacy; conversely, 32 percent don’t think it’s worth worrying too much about online threats that they read or hear about

“Consumers’ online behavior reveal a dangerous disconnect. Despite a steady stream of cyber crime sprees reported by media, too many people appear to feel invincible and skip taking even basic precautions to protect themselves,” said Gavin Lowth, Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan, Norton by Symantec. “This disconnect highlights the need for consumer digital safety and the urgency for consumers to get back to basics when it comes to doing their part to prevent cyber crime.”

Singaporeans Embrace Cyber Security Safety Measures, but Leave Their Virtual Door Unlocked

Surveyed consumers used device protection technologies such as fingerprint ID, pattern matching and facial recognition, with 49 percent using fingerprint ID, 14 percent using pattern matching, 13 percent using a personal VPN, 4 percent using voice ID, 15 percent using two-factor authentication and 7 percent using facial recognition. However, consumers who adopted these technologies often still practiced poor password hygiene and fell victim to cyber crime.

  • Consumers display minimal password management measures and are more exposed to attacks as they protect newer and more devices. 20 percent of Singaporeans surveyed admitted to using same password across all their accounts and only 3 percent of them retain the default password that was assigned.
  • Despite experiencing a cyber crime within the past year, 49 percent shared their passwords for at least one device or account with others, negating security efforts. Additionally, 27 percent of Singaporeans write their passwords down on a piece of paper and 22 percent are likely to use different passwords and save their password to a file on their computer/smartphone.
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Consumer Boundaries Skewed Between Cyber Crime and “Real Life”

The study also revealed that 81 percent of Singaporean consumers surveyed believe cyber crime should be treated as a criminal act, and 37 percent think it’s a fact of life to be accepted. However, when pressed, contradictions emerged, revealing that 23 percent of those surveyed believe stealing information online was not as bad as stealing property in ‘real life.’ When presented with examples of cyber crime, 40 percent of consumers believed it’s sometimes acceptable to commit morally questionable online behaviors in certain instances, such as reading someone’s emails (26 percent), using a false email or someone else’s email to identify themselves online (18 percent) and even accessing someone’s financial accounts without their permission (13 percent).

The State of Consumers’ Trust

Singaporeans generally continue to trust the traditional institutions that manage their data and personal information. Consumers gained or maintained trust in organisations such as banks and financial institutions (20 percent), and identity theft protection service providers (15 percent) despite the attacks that made headlines this year. However, 23 percent of consumers lost trust in social media platforms to manage their data and personal information.

Singaporean Parents Worried About Their Childrens’ Online Activities; Most Take Precautionary Measures

The 2017 NCSIR also sheds light on parents’ worries about their childrens’ online activities and the preventative measures they are putting in place to protect their little ones. Cyberbullying remains a top concern, with 86 percent of parents worried it will happen to their child.

“My daughter was cyberbullied by some close friends in secondary school,” said Edmund Chen. “As a parent, I was saddened and shocked that this had occurred. During that period, my daughter refused to go to school and even became skeptical of relationships.”

Parents have several worries their childrens’ online activities, including:

  • 94 percent of parents are worried their child will unknowingly download a malicious program or virus
  • 91 percent of parents are worried their child gives out too much personal information to strangers
  • 88 percent of surveyed parents are worried their child will be lured into illegal activities such as hacking
  • 85 percent of surveyed parents are worried their child will engage in online activities that will impact the whole family

Preventative measures parents are taking include:

  • 39 percent check their child’s browser history
  • 37 percent only allow internet use with parental supervision
  • 36 percent limit access to certain websites and apps
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To learn more about the real impact of cyber crime and how consumers can protect their digital information, click here for more information.

About the Norton Cyber Security Insights Report

The Norton Cyber Security Insights Report is an online survey of 21,549 individuals ages 18+ across 20 markets, commissioned by Norton by Symantec and produced by research firm Reputation Leaders. The margin of error for the total sample is +/-.7%. The Singapore sample reflects input from 1,037 adults ages 18+. The margin of error is +/- 3.0% for the total Singapore sample. Data was collected Oct. 5 – Oct. 24, 2017 by Reputation Leaders.

How We Define Cyber Crime

The definition of cyber crime continues to evolve as avenues open up that allow cyber criminals to target consumers in new ways. Each year, we will evaluate current cyber crime trends and update the report’s methodology as needed, to ensure the Norton Cyber Security Insights Report provides an accurate snapshot of the impact of cyber crime as it stands today. In the 2017 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report, a cyber crime is defined as, but not limited to, a number of specific actions, including identity theft, credit card fraud or having your account password compromised. For the purposes of this report, a cyber crime victim is a survey respondent who confirmed one or more of these incidents took place. Visit https://www.symantec.com/about/newsroom/press-kits to learn more.

About Symantec

Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC), the world’s leading cyber security company, helps organizations, governments and people secure their most important data wherever it lives. Organizations across the world look to Symantec for strategic, integrated solutions to defend against sophisticated attacks across endpoints, cloud and infrastructure. Likewise, a global community of more than 50 million people and families rely on Symantec’s Norton and LifeLock product suites to protect their digital lives at home and across their devices. Symantec operates one of the world’s largest civilian cyber intelligence networks, allowing it to see and protect against the most advanced threats. For additional information, please visit www.symantec.com or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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Looking through the information, I can only say that if you really want to be free from the chances of becoming a victim of cybercrime, don’t post anything online, or even better, don’t go online at all.

What are your thoughts on Cybercrime? Share your experiences here so that everyone can learn 🙂