Remote Opportunities… In Crime
Opportunity makes a thief – this saying has become more and more relevant now that we have moved a significant part of the economy online due to the pandemic. The scammers followed our lead.
COVID-19 has motivated cybercriminals to refine their previous strategies and successfully introduce new ones, allowing them to reap record profits. According to the research firm Cybersecurity Ventures, global damages caused by illegal online practices for the current year are estimated at over $6 trillion. And things are only likely to get worse – thieves will continue to prey on the gullibility of those who cannot adapt to virtual reality. Analysts predict that the worldwide cost of cybercrime will increase by 15% annually over the next five years, reaching $10.5 trillion by 2025. For comparison, even 10 years ago the equivalent figure was “only” around $3 trillion.
Why is this happening? There are several answers. The simplest one is that there are simply more opportunities for fraud. After all, the pandemic has generated a record number of online transactions, forcing a huge number of new, inexperienced web users – including the elderly – to go digital. Criminals are taking advantage of the naïveté of users who are dealing with teleworking or handling official matters online for the first time.
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