Cyber Crime Growing In SA

Published on September 16, 2011 by Johnson Minovel · No Comments

Cyber crime is growing.

Eighty-four percent of adult South Africans who are online report they have experienced cyber-crime in their lives. But a huge 74 percent of these victims reported experiencing cybercrime as late as last year.

This is according to the Norton Cyber Crime Report, which involved 24 countries.

Globally, all of the net cost of cyber crime are estimated at $ 388 billion (R2.9 trillion). South Africa’s crime is only R10.9bn this, which is less than 1 percent.

Although the monetary cost of our cyber-crime is lower than in other countries, several South Africans report being victims of cybercrime to the world average.

Only 69 percent of online adults globally said they had experienced cyber crime in their lives, and only 65 percent of those in the past year.

Advances in cell phone technology and the abundance of mobile phones in South Africa means that people go through their phones. Sixteen percent of adult South Africans South online reported having been cyber crime via their mobile phones compared with only 10 percent worldwide.

Computer viruses / malware that make up the majority of computer crimes in South Africa and the rest is due to online scams and phishing.

Phishing emails usually appear to come from well-known organization and ask for personal information such as credit card numbers, account numbers or passwords. Companies often scam sites claim to the future, services and businesses with which the potential victim does not have an account.

On average, South Africans spend 23 hours a week.

Those who have access to the Internet via their mobile phones are connected to the Internet 70 percent of the time. And only a quarter of us say we could not live without the Internet.

But 24 percent of us do not have updated security systems online.

Tags: Computer crime, Crime, Mobile phone, Online and offline, Percentage, Phishing, South Africa, Symantec