A new report from cyber security provider F-Secure finds a steady barrage of major data breaches have left a vast majority of consumers worried about the online crimes that lead to identity theft and account takeovers.
The report, Is ID theft the cyber crime we fear most? A look at consumer views on identity theft and cyber crime, includes findings from a consumer survey of nine countries, such as:
"What do criminals do when they get our data?" asks F-Secure Global Partner Product Advocate Fennel Aurora. "As much as they can. This includes accessing our critical accounts to taking over our identities. Or - if the crooks think you're worth it - they'll use the data for a targeted attack."
The Consumer Sentinel Network database run by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission took in 444,602 reports of identity theft in 2018, including more than 167,000 reports from "people who said their information was misused on an existing account or to open a new credit card account."
"Every data breach is a reminder that protecting private data requires more than securing our devices," says Olli Bliss, F-Secure's Consumer Security Business Development Manager. "Consumers sense the risks but can feel powerless about their ability to keep track of all the potential risks that come from having multiple accounts with banks, credit cards, online services, social media platforms, webmail providers, and more."
