More than a third of Irish citizens do not feel well-informed about the risks of cybercrime, a study by Reboot Online reveals.
Reboot Online analysed the latest data from the European Commission, to discover which Europeans are the most unaware of how to report a cybercrime or any other illegal online behaviour in their respective country.
The study found that Ireland ranks joint eleventh in Europe as 70pc of Irish citizens have no idea how to report a cybercrime or illegal online behavior.
“As cybercrimes become more sophisticated and dangerous, we must become more vigilant to protect ourselves online”
Worryingly, 39pc of Irish citizens do not feel well informed about the risks of cybercrime.
Importance of reporting illegal online behaviour
Spanish (86pc) and Danish (86pc) citizens are the most unaware of how to report a cybercrime or any illegal online behaviour in their respective countries.
At the other end, those in Malta seem to be the most prepared to handle the aftermath of a cybercrime, with only 46% of citizens not knowing how to report a cybercrime.
Overall, on average from all the assessed countries, 77% of Europeans are clueless as to how they would report a cybercrime or any illegal online behaviour
“As cybercrimes become more sophisticated and dangerous, we must become more vigilant to protect ourselves online,” said Shai Ahorony, co-founder and managing director of Reboot Online.
“Taking small actions such as familiarising yourself with government backed cybercrime agencies/bodies and applying their recommended best practices to your online actions can play a monumental role in reducing the risk of you becoming a victim of cybercrime.
“But this research also goes to show that these governmental cybercrime agencies/bodies need to better promote themselves to the public to make them aware of their role, operations, and support services when it comes to cybercrime.
“Whilst unawareness on how to report cybercrime in some European countries is worse than others, an active drive by relevant cybercrime agencies/bodies to come out the shadows and educate the public on what protocols to follow in the event of a cybercrime will remedy this information disparity”.
By John Kennedy (john.kennedy3@boi.com)
Published: 15 February 2021
