2024-07-03 06:52:59
According to a recent study, one in three users in Germany receives fraudulent messages every day. The attackers’ methods are becoming increasingly creative.
According to a recent YouGov survey by the Initiative Sicher Handeln (ISH), one in three Internet users in Germany observes so-called phishing attempts on a daily basis. Criminals pose as trustworthy senders in order to obtain sensitive information. More than half of those surveyed (58 percent) experience such attacks at least once a week.
“The insidious thing about phishing is that it usually catches the victims unprepared,” explains Harald Schmidt from the German Forum for Crime Prevention Foundation and spokesman for the ISH. “They often know the supposed sender and trust him. So they rarely question the message. Hackers exploit this trust.”
What is particularly worrying is that many people do not always recognize the signs of phishing. Only two thirds of those surveyed become suspicious when they are asked to enter account details. Skepticism is even lower among young users between the ages of 18 and 24 – only one in two correctly interprets common warning signs.
The consequences can be expensive: According to the survey, one in four people has fallen for phishing at least once. Ten percent suffered losses of between 500 and over 10,000 euros.
Even among well-informed users, 45 percent fear becoming victims of a phishing attack. To protect yourself, the initiative recommends the so-called SHS rule: Stop, Question and Protect. “With phishing, a healthy level of skepticism on the part of users is much more important than with other methods,” emphasises Schmidt.
This is because fraudsters are becoming more and more inventive. In addition to classic emails, they are increasingly using fake SMS (“smishing”) or manipulated QR codes (“quishing”). Experts therefore advise being particularly cautious with unexpected messages – regardless of the channel.
Anyone who has fallen victim to a phishing attack should act quickly. The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and the police advice service offer tips for emergencies. It is also important to warn family and friends to make the scam more widely known.
With its educational work, the ISH wants to make people “fit to deal with cyber risks”. Because one thing is clear: in the digital age, phishing can affect anyone – from private users to large companies.