Almost every second person is affected by internet fraud

Study by the Austrian E-Commerce Quality Mark shows the most common online traps!

Almost every second person affected by internet fraud! The most important things in brief: Top 3: Subscription traps, false payment requests and undelivered goods, Tips from the experts: How consumers recognize dangers, Safe online shops: Quality marks, complete imprint and secure means of payment as hallmarks, Young people trust online reviews, Older people seals of quality

Supposedly free offers, phishing emails or fake shops – the range of possible online fraud cases is wide and the scams are becoming more and more sophisticated. This is also confirmed by a study by the Austrian E-Commerce Quality Mark, in which 1,000 Austrian consumers were surveyed about internet fraud.

“Unfortunately, almost every second Austrian has already been confronted with online fraud. Therefore, caution and awareness of dubious offers are essential. Anyone who pays attention to this has little to fear when shopping online ,” explains Thorsten Behrens, managing director of the Austrian E-Commerce Quality Mark and project manager of the Watchlist Internet, and adds: “Fraudulent activities occur both online and offline. Panic about online trading is therefore inappropriate. It’s more about raising awareness and dealing with possible dangers.”

Subscription traps are particularly common

The top types of fraud are subscription traps (in third place last year), fake payment requests and undelivered but already paid for goods. This is followed by malware (viruses, Trojans, etc.) and blackmail with videos or images.

The expert also confirms: “We see that subscription traps have increased significantly in the last year. They are well disguised as supposedly free offers and services and range from streaming services to holiday booking platforms and competitions.”

Consumers who want to use these services take out a subscription without knowing it. As a result, they are confronted with high bills and letters from debt collection agencies or lawyers. “ Anyone who allows themselves to be intimidated and complies with payment requests will unjustifiably lose money ,” says Behrens. “So stay firm and don’t pay.” Anyone who is unsure can get free advice from the Internet Ombudsman ( www.ombudsmann.at ).

[mk_ad]

This is how consumers react

The study shows that awareness of dubious offers has increased among Internet users: If those surveyed find offers strange or dubious, then 44.3% research the experiences of others on the Internet and look for customer reviews. Almost 30% look at the imprint. And quality seals, as a sign of reputable online providers, also play an important role: 17% check whether the provider is safety-certified with a quality mark. Friends and acquaintances as well as independent information platforms such as the Watchlist Internet are consulted directly as a source of information by 12%.

At least 37.5% say that they will not buy from the provider in question if it seems strange or dubious to them.

Behrens said: “These figures are a positive sign and show that awareness of internet fraud has increased among Austria’s online consumers. In addition, we always recommend questioning extremely cheap offers and being very cautious when entering personal data.” On the website www.watchlist-internet.at , consumers can find warnings about current online traps and tips on how to recognize them.

Young shoppers rely on online reviews

If online shoppers have to choose between two providers, then the trustworthiness and security of the seller is the second most important criterion alongside price. Consumers pay particular attention to secure means of payment, awareness and familiarity, good reviews and providers certified with quality marks. Older people aged 60 and over in particular trust security-certified online providers and those they have known well for a long time.

For very young buyers (14 to 19 years old), online reviews from other customers are the preferred source for checking the trustworthiness of a provider.

But according to the expert, caution is advised: “Online customer reviews can be faked or bought, which is why they are not always necessarily true. Consumers should always view these critically and, if in doubt, subject them to further inspection.”