While there are a lot of great things about the Internet, there are a lot of downsides to it, including tons of scams, which unfortunately way too many people fall for.
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Scam Spotter, a platform created by Cybercrime Support Network (CSN) with support from Google,
- The average person is the target of close to 30 scams a month.
- That includes 10 email scams, nine phone calls and eight fishy texts.
- And it’s not just on the Internet
- 40% say they’ve received more than 11 email scams a month.
- 34% are on the receiving end of more than 11 phone scams a month.
- Unfortunately, 46% of people say they’ve lost money due to a scam.
- The average person will fall victim to five scams over their life, losing an average of $500.
- So, why do so many people fall for scams? Common reasons include:
- No time to stop and think through the scenario (37%)
- Fear of loss of personal information (29%)
- Interest in an alleged reward (28%)
- Fear of loss for a family or friend (27%)
- Fear of arrest (22%)
- Trusting most people, even strangers (17%)
- As for some of the most ridiculous scams people have ever seen, they include:
- Claims of a warrant out for their arrest in a state they’ve never been to (34%)
- A non-existent relative in prison (30%)
- Attempts to pay their taxes in gift cards (26%)
Source: SWNS Digital
Photo: Getty Images