Romanian consumers are less informed than their European peers about cybercrime

While 80 percent of Romanians say they are worried with the growth in cyber-crime, only 36 percent of them are preoccupied with the level of security of online payments, according to Eurobarometer data. Romanian consumers are less informed about cybercrime compared to their European peers. Only 31 percent of Romanians say they are well-informed in this respect, compared to 47 percent of European citizens.

The Eurobarometer was carried out between October 10-20 2014 on 27,878 people in the European Union, of whom 1,015 were Romanians.

The identity theft is the main cause of concern among Romanian internet users, as 63 percent of respondents said they fear lest their personal data should be stolen, followed by the risk of infection with virus and malware problems, which worried 62 percent of Romanians, and hacking into their e-mail or social media accounts, in the case of 59 percent of them.

About 57 percent of them are also worried about the risk of falling prey to a fraud in their bank account or via online banking services while 54 percent are concerned about receiving e-mails or calls in which they are asked to give access to their computer or personal data.

Online fraud where the purchased goods are not delivered, are fake or do not fit the presentation is also a reason for concern for 53 percent of Romanians, which is 3 percent lower that the European average, according to the Eurobarometer.

Approximately 11 percent of the interviewed Romanians had their personal data stolen, which is above the 7 percent average in the European Union but they have fallen prey to fraud that affected their bank account and took place via online banking services less. Thus, only 6 percent of Romanians have found themselves in this situation, compared to 8 percent of Europeans, according to the Eurobarometer.

Otilia Haraga