Yahoo Finance One in nine Brits have been victims of fraud in the past year
Millions of Brits have quit social media, changed email provider or moved banks due to fraud in the past 12 months, new research shows.
A survey of over 2,000 UK adults by tech company Studio Graphene found 12% of UK adults have been the victim of fraud over the past year – equating to 6.21 million people.
And further 16% have had an online banking, social media, shopping or email account hacked.
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As a result, around one in six (16%) Brits said they have stopped using social media due to data security concerns.
More than one in eight (12%) have changed service providers – including streaming services, utilities and banks – and 6% have moved to a new email provider for the same reason.
These trends were particularly common among those aged between 18 and 34 – 17% had been the victim of fraud, a quarter had online accounts hacked, 20% had quit social media, 23% had switched service provider, and 11% had changed email provider.
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The research also demonstrated how wary consumers have become of the technology they use and the data they share.
Almost three quarters (73%) of UK adults said they are now conscious of the websites and apps they provide personal data to, while 70% are cautious of the particular devices or networks they use to share sensitive information.
But despite being the most exposed to issues of hacking, fraud and data loss, 18-24 year-old Brits exercise the least caution, the survey found.
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Only 58% said they are conscious of the websites and apps they share personal data on, and just 56% think about the networks or devices they are using when doing so.
Elsewhere, 24% of respondents said they avoid using ATMs or chip-and-pin machines in shops due to fears of credit and debit card fraud.
