The
survey also found that almost one person in two believes that
internet security is the job of big businesses, not
individuals.
Of the almost 1,400 people surveyed by government campaign Get
Safe Online (GSOL), 21% felt most at risk from internet crime,
compared to 16% from burglary and 11% from mugging. For 27% of the
people bank card fraud was the biggest fear.
"Asked to choose the type of crime they felt most exposed to,
from the list opposite, over a fifth of people said they felt most
at risk from internet crime," said the GSOL report. "This figure
shows a worrying increase from last year, when, asked the same
question, only 17% were most concerned about e-crime and bank card
fraud weighed more heavily on people’s minds [than this year]."
"As broadband take up continues to rise and an increasing number
of services go online, criminals are targeting the internet
more readily," said Tony Neate, managing director of GSOL. "We are
constantly facing new online safety threats and it is vital people
are educated about the dangers and have access to the information
needed to protect themselves."
Internet crime has turned its attention to home users and away
from corporate networks, according to last week's Symantec Security
Report, and the GSOL survey indicates that home users may not be
prepared for the attacks.
It found that 50% of people admitted to gaps in their knowledge
about staying safe. A worrying 76% of respondents felt that other
people should have responsibility for their online safety.
Security breaches could be serious: over half of those surveyed
carry out banking on the internet. Almost a third, 32%, pay bills
and 11% complete tax returns online, exposing significant amounts
of valuable personal data to potential theft.
There is a significant portion of the population, though, whose
fear of security breaches stops them conducting sensitive
transactions online. Twenty four percent of survey respondents had
been deterred from online banking, GSOL's survey found, while 21%
will not perform any financial management tasks online, 18% refuse
to shop online and 17% will not use the internet at all due to
security fears.
"Increased fear of online crime is bad news for UK businesses,
which are increasingly moving their services online, with a
knock-on effect to the economy overall," said the report.
