6% of Irish internet users have lost money to cybercrime, CSO reveal
Almost one-sixth of internet users here say they have received fraudulent or phishing emails and some 6% of people say they have experienced a financial loss as a result of such activity.
The figures were included in a new release by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which looks at internet use in Ireland.
The report indicates that Ireland is more connected than ever, with four-fifths of people using the internet every day.
In total, some 91% of households have internet access. This figure is higher in households with children (99% for a household with two children) than those without (77% for an adult with no children).
The main reasons stated for not having a household internet connection were that it is not needed (52%) and a lack of computer skills (42%). Some 8% of people without an internet connection said that they chose not to have one due to privacy or security concerns, while 10% say that the cost is too high.
Younger users are more frequent users too. 5% of 16-29-year-olds use the internet "all the time" in comparison to just 2% of 45-59-year-olds and 1% of 60-74-year-olds.
The report explores the issues of internet security, too. It states that almost 15% of people say they have received fraudulent or 'phishing' emails, while 3% of users said they have had social media or email accounts hacked.
Nearly one-tenth experienced pharming — getting redirected to fake websites asking for personal information — and 6% of people experienced financial loss as a result of phishing, pharming or online identity theft and 9% of people found that their children had accessed inappropriate websites.
For regular internet users, email and finding information are their most common activities, with instant messaging, news sites and online banking all cited as regular reasons for logging on.
