Two Thirds Of Aussies Fall For Online Scams

Software security company Trend Micro says up to 60 percent of Australians are victims of Online scams, according to a new survey it has released.

By Mike Wheeler

 

Software security company Trend Micro says up to 60 percent of Australians are victims of Online scams, according to a new survey it has released.

 

The survey of 1,106 Australians also showed that a fifth of users had bought something online that hadn’t been delivered, while 10 percent said their social networking pages had been hacked at some stage.

 

Other outcomes of the survey showed:

  • 15 percent clicked on a link that posted content to their Facebook wall without permission.
  • 10 percent clicked on a link from a social media site that was of a malicious nature.
  • 29 percent regularly download or stream content from paid, unpaid and free websites
  • 25 percent shop online.

Trend Micro put together a list of do’s and don’ts for online users as a guide on how to minimise being a victim of hacking or scams.

  • Don’t go online shopping or banking in places with unsecure networks or via public hot spots. Doing this open the door to cybercrimes to hijacking your shopping session or drop malicious files onto your device.
  • Bookmark your favourite sites rather than relying on search engines. Cybercrims often count on misspelled links to lead victims to spoofed sites.
  • Never click on suspicious lines, not matter how promising their accompanying messages seem.
  • Avoid over-sharing personal information online. Be sure to delete any unnecessary content that you may have posted on a whim.
  • Make sure you security software is up to date.