One in ten Brits have been victims of cyber fraud

Research of over 10,000 consumers has revealed that one in ten people have been a victim of cyber fraud whilst not protected by paid-for cybersecurity software.

The survey carried out by consumer security company BullGuard also revealed that 66% of BullGuard customers have used a free antivirus solution in the past and of those who switched from free AV to a paid-for cybersecurity solution, 65% said it was because they wanted better protection and 61% said they felt safer.

Paul Lipman, CEO at consumer security firm BullGuard said: “These findings illustrate just how important good cybersecurity protection is. They also undermine some voices in the security industry that claim paid-for cybersecurity software is no longer viable and that free antivirus is just as effective. Clearly, end users feel different and would much rather have the deeper levels of protection and service and support that paid-for cybersecurity provides.”

When asked what their biggest online safety concerns are, respondents cited a wide range of attacks from phishing emails to identity theft to card details being cloned, computers crashing, malware infected ads, PayPal accounts being hacked and also becoming victims of ransomware.

Protecting against the theft of personal information was cited by 87% as their biggest online security concern. 69% of respondents also flagged up concerns about phishing emails pretending to be from reputable companies as a significant worry.