70pc of NZ adults hit by online crime

Photo / Dean Purcell

Seventy per cent of New Zealand adults have been the victim of online crimes ranging from identity theft to having their computer infected with a virus, a survey has revealed.

The Norton Cybercrime Report, released today, shows that virus infection is the most common cybercrime affecting New Zealanders, with 61 per cent picking up viruses or malware (malicious software).

Ten per cent of New Zealanders have responded to online scams and 7 per cent have had their social networking profile hacked or their credit cards used fraudulently.

Two per cent have experienced identity theft.

Michele Thompson, safety advocate at the internet security firm, said the results of the survey were surprising.

"It is a silent epidemic. We didn't realise how big it was and how many people are being affected.

"Be diligent about what you do, ensure that you understand, protect your identity, protect your password, protect your bank details and your financial things online."

The survey interviewed 7066 adults from 14 countries. It showed just 10 per cent of New Zealanders felt very safe online.

Less than half (45 per cent) of New Zealanders said they would report the crime to police.

But Ministry of Consumer Affairs spokesman Richard Parlett urged victims to report crimes to safeguard others. Losses to scams were about $447 million a year, he said.

Over the past year, Scamwatch, a ministry website set up to warn people about scams, had received almost 3000 scam reports, which was only "the tip of the iceberg".

Martin Cocker, executive director of Netsafe, said the most prevalent scams were email offers for products in exchange for a down-payment.

Other fraudsters were finding victims on Trade Me and luring bidders away from the website to complete transactions by promising a cheaper deal because they were bypassing the website's commission - which was against the rules.

"It's important for people to understand that that's the risk they're taking when they start transferring money to other countries. To be honest, in most cases, it's just not worth it," Mr Cocker said.

"People do need to be aware that it's going on on the internet and it's going on in very large volumes."

PREVENTION

* Change your password often and do not choose one that has your name, address, birthday, or children's names or birthdays.
* Use a separate credit card with a small limit for online purchases.
* Use a different email for online transactions.
* Have up-to-date, comprehensive security software on your computer.
* Don't open emails or attachments or click on links sent by people you don't know.

THE FACTS

* 42 per cent do not consider the internet a pivotal part of everyday life
* 86 per cent would not give out their password
* 31 per cent think it is okay to secretly view someone's browser history or emails