BENGALURU: Nearly 54% of Indian consumers have been victim of an online scam during festive season.Nearly 65% of these victims reported losing money, with the majority of people losing up to Rs 40,000, according to a study.
McAfee Corp’s results of its inaugural Global Festive Shopping Scams Study on Tuesday, and the study says this year, 44% of Indians planned to do more online shopping as against previous years, and during the festive season, 77% of shoppers saw an uptick in cybercriminal activity and 95% thought use of artificial intelligence would impact the amount and types of scams.
Findings reveal 59% of Indians admitted to making an online purchase in bed late at night, and 37% have shopped during work hours, 28% during dinner, and even 10% while on the toilet. “With the speed and sophistication of scams rising due to AI, and consumers busier than ever, knowledge is the first line of data protection defence.
Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the rush for deals, and the hustle and bustle of life, and using AI to create fake sites, phishing emails, and tricky text messages, hoping you’ll take the bait and click on something unsafe,” said Roma Majumder, SVP of Product at McAfee.
“With AI now a scammer’s favourite tool, our findings revealing that 43% of Indians are likely to jump on a great deal as soon as they see it, you need the most advanced AI in your back pocket to safeguard your privacy, identity, and personal information,” Majumder added.