|
Web scams bamboozle big bucks from consumers
(Daily Oklahoman, The (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 5--The Internet connection that most Americans have in their homes may cost much more than a $25 monthly subscription fee.
U.S. consumers lost $8.5 billion the past two years to viruses, spyware and phishing schemes, according to Consumer Reports' annual State of the Net survey featured in the September edition of the magazine.
Additionally, Americans have replaced about 2.1 million computers over the past two years because of online threats.
There were some hopeful signs for Internet users. Consumer Reports said that the odds of becoming a cyber crime victim had declined from 1 in 4 in 2007 to 1 in 6 this year.
Viruses, spyware
Here are major findings from a survey of 2,000 U.S. households:
-- Spam: One in three survey respondents reported heavy levels of spam. One of the newest types, cell-phone spam, is a minor nuisance to most online homes. However, Consumer Reports estimates that 1.2 million people nationwide receive more than 25 such messages during a recent six-month period.
-- Viruses: The rate of serious virus problems has declined 32 percent since Consumer Reports began tracking them. Yet, 19 percent of respondents reported they didn't have anti-virus software on their computer.
-- Spyware: Spyware problems have declined 54 percent since the magazine began tracking them. One in 14 respondents reported a serious computer problem as a result of spyware, compared to 1 in 6 in 2005. In the past six moths, 566,000 households replaced computers due to spyware infections.
-- Phishing: over the past two years, about 6.5 million consumers, or roughly 1 in 13 online households, gave phishing scammers personal information, and 14 percent of them lost money. Consumer Reports estimates that American consumers lost about $2 billion to phishing scams.
To see more of The Oklahoman, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsok.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Oklahoman
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
INDUSTRIES
Activate Email 
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.
