‘New’ forms of cybercrime rising in Singapore: survey

More than 1.4 million people are estimated to have fallen victim to cybercrime in Singapore in the past one year as “new” forms of cybercrime surface, according to the Norton Cybercrime report for 2012.

The report calculates that the victims suffered about US$944 million (S$1.17 billion) in direct financial losses as a result.

According to the survey released on Thursday, 72 per cent of online adults in Singapore have been a victim of cybercrime in their lifetime, an eight percent decrease compared to last year.

The survey shows an increase in cybercrime found on social networks and mobile devices, a clear sign that cybercriminals are targeting the more popular platforms, according to anti-virus firm Norton by Symantec.

According to the report, 20 percent of adults in Singapore have fallen prey to such cybercrime on those platforms in the past year.

“Cybercriminals are changing their tactics to target fast growing mobile platforms and social networks where consumers are less aware of security risks,” Effendy Ibrahim, internet safety advocate and director for Asia for Norton by Symantec, said.

One in five online adults in Singapore has been a victim of either social or mobile cybercrime, and 36 per cent of social network users have been victims of social cybercrime, says the report.

The 2012 Norton Cybercrime report also indicates that most internet users take the basic steps to protect themselves and their personal information by deleting suspicious emails and being careful with personal details.

However, it says other core precautions are being ignored with 41 per cent not using complex passwords or not changing their passwords frequently.

Ibrahim noted that a secure password would be something containing letters, symbols and numbers.