- The average amount stolen per victim through online fraud has increased from €5,249 in 2003 to €6,383 in 2006.
- USA ranks first in Internet fraud and Spain is third.
- In May 2006, a record number online bank fraud attempts were registered.
- Seventy percent of the malware detected in the first quarter of 2006 was related to cyber-crime (spyware, Trojans, bots and backdoor Trojans).
- Around 60% of Wi-Fi networks are not protected.
- The number of bots increased by 175% in 2005 with respect to 2004.
- Victims of identity theft spend 600 hours recovering from this crime (paperwork, filing complaints, hearings, etc.) after a period of two years Three years ago, this average was 175 hours, representing an increase of 2470 percent.
This time is worth €16,000 in potential loss of income or income not generated (through loss of time). The amount that can be stolen must be added to this figure.
- In 2003, almost 7 million people fell victim to identity theft, which is 19,178 per day or 13.3 per minute.
- Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States over the last few years, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
- Seventy percent of the malware detected in the first quarter of 2006 was related to cyber-crime (spyware, Trojans, bots and backdoor Trojans).
In the first quarter of 2006, 47% of the malware detected were Trojans, and this figure increased to 54% in the second quarter. (Source: PandaLabs).
In 2004, 24.3% of the new malware detected were Trojans, and in 2005, this figure increased to 40.3%.
Detections of new worms decreased significantly between 2004 -when they represented 34.7%- and 2006, currently representing only 17.1% of malware detected. This indicates that cyber-criminals are putting their efforts into creating malware that generates financial profits.
- Around 60% of Wi-Fi networks are not protected.
- In 2005, PandaLabs recorded a significant increase in the number of new malware specimens received; over 240 percent. In total, over 46,000 new threats were detected, including viruses, worms, Trojans, bots and other types of malware, compared to just over 13,000 in 2004. The number of bots was particularly high, representing 10,000 new detections in 2005. On the other hand, the number of new viruses dropped dramatically and the number of worms and Trojans remained high.
- The number of bots increased by 175% in 2005 with respect to 2004, making a total 10,000 detected. Bots represented more than 20% of the new malware detected in 2005.
- TruPrevent Technologies have detected over 46,000 unknown malware specimens since they were launched in August 2004.
- The cost of spam per employee, in time spent checking it, is currently €3,500 per year. What's more, 98% of fraud scams and security problems originate from junk email.
According to estimates from Ferris Research, the global cost of spam was 50 billion dollars in 2005, 17 billion alone for companies in the US.
- In May 2006, a record number online bank fraud attempts were recorded, according to the RSA Anti-Fraud Command Center. In total, 157 brands were targeted by phishing attacks, of which six were Spanish banks
- It is estimated that between May 2004 and May 2005 approximately 1.2 million computer users in the US suffered losses due to phishing worth around 929 million dollars in total.
- In December 2005, 15,244 different phishing attacks were carried out worldwide.
Phishing continues to be one of the rapidly growing classes of identity theft scams on the Internet that is causing both short-term losses and long-term economic damage. In May of 2006, over 20,000 individual phishing complaints were reported, representing an increase of over 34% from the previous year. Recent data suggests that criminals are able to convince up to 5% of recipients to respond to their e-mails, resulting in an increasing number of consumers who have suffered credit card fraud, identity fraud, and financial loss. Estimated losses from phishing attacks are now in the billions of dollars worldwide, and those losses are growing.
Some cyber-criminals can make changes to computers so that when users access online stores or banking services, instead of displaying the original page, a perfect copy appears. If users enter their details in these pages, they will fall straight into the hands of the cyber-criminals who can use them for fraudulent purposes. The changes that need to be made to carry out this task are usually done using Trojans, and therefore, the best defense is a completely up-to-date antivirus.
- Sometimes, cyber-criminals can obtain the data they need to spoof users' identity in the Internet by stealing mail, making false telephone calls in which they pass themselves off as employees of the electricity company, for example, or even by going through the trash of possible victims.
- According to the California Public Interest Research Group, as well as the direct losses through online fraud or identity theft, victims of these attacks spend an average 175 hours investigating and following up the crime and 23 months rectifying and controlling credit reports.
- Victims of online fraud should immediately contact their bank or card issuer in order to cancel them and report the incident to the police.
- Before purchasing online, it is highly advisable to check the legal notice and the privacy policy of the website in order to find out how the company uses your credit card details and other personal data.
- The majority of fraud scams are carried out in Internet forums and blogs and can have serious consequences, including problems in personal relationships or work problems.
- In 2004, the Federal Trade Commission in the USA received 650,000 complaints about identity theft, although it estimated that almost 10 million users were affected by this type of crime.
- In 2005, the number of vulnerabilities in programs increased by 15%. The most serious vulnerabilities that affected users were related to Windows (Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office and Outlook Express), multimedia players and instant messaging. The most serious network service vulnerabilities affected Windows and Cisco computers.
- The emotional impact on victims of identity theft crime is likened to that felt by victims of violent crime.
Sources: Panda Software - PandaLabs, Spanish Association of Internet Users, Gartner, CERT, Anti-phishing Working Group, CSO, FBI, Ferris Research, Internet Users Association, RSA.
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