Nearly two-thirds of Americans are concerned about their personal information being stolen, including information about their bank accounts, credit cards and identity, according to a recent survey.
Of those surveyed, 65 percent said their biggest fear was having their bank account, credit card or personal information stolen from their computers. The second biggest concern for consumers is phishing for personal information and malware.
Of those surveyed, a staggering 81 percent said their computers had been infected by a virus at one point, and 29 percent of them said they had been victimized in the last three months.
But despite all of this, surveyors found that consumers still have sloppy security practices. Only 59 percent of the survey’s respondents had updated their computers’ anti-virus software, and only 53 percent had enabled a firewall on their home routers or computers.
The survey shows, by its high number of victimizations, that the number of online hackers and thieves is ever rising. Criminals are getting more and more sophisticated, and more skilled at identifying potential security holes in a consumer’s home network.
Armed with consumer’s personal information cyber criminals can deplete bank accounts and harm credit ratings, which costs consumers significant time and effort to reverse the damage.
The survey consisted of 1,200 web users from 18 to 55 years old, with at least one personal computer in their homes and a broadband connection, who spend a few hours a month browsing the Internet from their homes.
These statistics are why it’s crucial to be sure your information is protected. You can’t be relaxed about protecting your personal information – you must be vigilant. But you don’t have to go it alone.
LifeLock can help.
LifeLock will monitor for all credit and non-credit related threats to your personal information, and you’ll be notified immediately, so that any attempts at stealing your identity and ruining your credit are nipped in the bud.
Call LifeLock today. Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”
Tags: Identity Theft, identity theft statistics, LifeLock promo code
