One in 10 Greeks is victim of online scams

Google is advising internet users to take online security more seriously as a study it commissioned on the occasion of Safer Internet Day (SID) on Tuesday showed that one in 10 Greek internet users has fallen victim to online scams.

According to the YouGov study, one in six Greeks are concerned about the security of their online banking information.

Nonetheless, 34 percent said they had one password for most or all online accounts, while 11 percent said they had never changed their password.

Moreover, the survey showed that Greeks do not make the most of available online services to safeguard their accounts, with only 38 percent using two-step verification for all their online accounts.

Another 13 percent of Greeks reported that an unknown party gained unauthorized access to their social media or email accounts, while 23 percent said they had been exposed to malware.

Almost half (49 percent) the Greek respondents claimed to have received phishing messages, which attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by posing as a legitimate entity in an electronic communication.

The privacy of personal information (e.g. home address) is also a concern for 16 percent of Greeks surveyed.