Cybercrime is on the rise in Canada according to a new annual survey -- and that rise has cost Canadians $1.4 billion.
The 2012 Norton Cybercrime Report revealed that more than 46 per cent of Canadians have fallen victim to cybercrime in the past 12 months.
The report also revealed the costs attached to such crimes for unsuspecting Canadians.
“The average cost of cybercrime to Canadians is $169 per person,” Lynn Hargrove, Symantec Canada’s director of consumer solutions, told CTV’s Canada AM on Wednesday.
The report from Norton Anti-Virus maker Symantec also pointed to a rise in new forms of cybercrimes that are found on social networks or mobile devices. That rise indicates that cybercriminals are focusing their efforts on these increasingly popular platforms among consumers.
According to this report, 16 per cent of adults have been a victim of social or mobile cybercrime in the past 12 months, and one in 10 social network users have experienced a scam on social network platforms.
As well, nearly one-third (31 per cent) of mobile users said that they received messages from people that they did not know requesting for them to click on an embedded link or dial and unknown number to retrieve a voicemail.
Remarkably, 21 per cent of Canadians today are still unaware of the risks attached to using such devices – or their home computers – without the proper security precautions.
As the report outlined, less then half of respondents used a security system to protect themselves from cybercrime, and only 49 per cent used privacy settings to control the way they shared information.
However, increased vigilance to safeguard one’s personal data is vital, according to Hargrove.
Across all platforms, criminals are looking for personal information, credit card details and bank account numbers.
“All those things can be bought or sold by cybercriminals,” said Hargrove.
“If a criminal got access to your email he has the key to your online digital kingdom,” said Hargrove.
