More than 9 million adults in Britain have had online accounts hacked and 8% of the population say they have lost money in the past year because of cybercrime, according to a survey by university researchers.
Cyber security experts at the University of Kent said it was “quite shocking” that 2.3% of the population reported losing more than £10,000 to online fraudsters.
The survey found that 18.3% of those questioned had experienced attempts to break into one or more of their online accounts, including email, online banking, gaming and social media. One third said it had happened more than once.
The researchers found that people aged 55 to 64 were least likely to be successfully targeted by online criminals. The figure for this group was 11.4%, the study said, which may be because they are more cautious or spend less time online, have fewer activities and accounts or maintain better security. More than one in four people aged 18 to 24 (27.3%) has suffered a hacking attack.
SOURCE: theguardian.com
