Americans Say One Thing But Likely to do Another When it Comes to Online Scams

National study in collaboration with the Ponemon Institute measures American consumer susceptibility online

Mountain View, December 16, 2011: PC Tools, in collaboration with the Ponemon Institute, today announced the findings of its online scam susceptibility study of 1,858 American consumers. The results of the survey show a clear difference between respondents’ attitudes and predicted behaviors when presented with real-world online scenarios.

US respondents say one thing, yet are more likely to do another

The following results show that disturbingly, close to half of US respondents think that they would be likely to provide personal or financial information online in each of the test scenarios presented:

Test Scenario	Rate %
An online prize	55%
Free antivirus software	53%
Get rich quick opportunity	53%
Free movie	48%
Online shopping registration	46%
Online donations	31%

“Almost half (47%) of US respondents identified an online survey with a prize as either a scam or an attempt to get you to buy something later. However, when presented with the test scenarios, more than half (55%) of US respondents indicated they would be likely to provide their personal information to redeem a prize after completing an online survey,” said Richard Clooke, Online Security Expert, PC Tools.

US respondents are just as susceptible as their BFF but more susceptible than Brits and Aussies

While first and third person constructs were tested to minimize the potential “halo effect” that occurs when asking respondents to rate themselves, US respondents indicated they were equally as likely as their friend to provide personal and financial information online in each of the tested scenarios. This is in contrast to respondents in the UK and Australia who indicated that they thought their friend was more likely to provide personal and financial information online in each of the tested scenarios

“We generally find that when people are answering for others they are more inclined to reveal their true behavior, or in this case their susceptibility. Interestingly, the survey results from all three regions demonstrate that US respondents are more susceptible than either UK or Australian respondents for both the first and third person constructs,” said Clooke.

Independents polled more susceptible than the Greens

The survey results also indicate that certain demographic groups are more susceptible than others. For example, respondents who indicated they are Independent supporters are the most susceptible to online scams, while supporters from the Green Party are the least. Regionally, respondents who indicated they are from the Southwest are the most susceptible, while respondents from the Midwest and Pacific are the least.

The survey results also indicated that respondents from the following demographics are more susceptible to online scams:

• 18-25 year olds
• Females
• Less than a high school diploma
• Household income of $25,000 - $50,000
• Reside in the Southwest

Education and Protection

“The longer term concern is that while many of us think that we are too savvy for online scams, the research demonstrates otherwise. Unless consumer behavior is addressed through education, the incidence of cybercriminals seeking to cash in on consumer trust and naivety online is likely to increase exponentially,” said Clooke.

Unfortunately, many consumers don’t realize that some online scams don’t involve malware. Traditional internet security is essential to maintain protection against viruses or malicious files and websites, but cybercriminals are changing their methods by tricking consumers into revealing their personal information, so this requires a very different protection approach.

“Whether it’s a get-rich-quick scheme or an offer to download the latest movie, when an offer is too good to be true , the new scam protection from PC Tools asks you to think twice about sharing your personal and financial information online” said Clooke.

-ENDS-

About the Survey

The Ponemon Institute worked with PC Tools to develop and conduct a survey that utilized a series of fixed format questions to ensure objectivity and accuracy. The primary collection channel was a secure extranet website and no personally identifiable information was collected from the respondents. Survey results were collected in conformance with survey ethics and privacy practices.

The survey utilized a representative sample of 1,858 American consumers, 1,022 Australian consumers, and 1,357 UK consumers, all aged 16-65 who frequently use the Internet. All results were independently fielded from mid-October to early November 2011. Using scientific sampling methods, a total of 49,314 American individuals were invited to participate in this survey. This resulted in a total return of 1,969 completed surveys from American respondents. Reliability tests required the removal of survey results from 111 Americans, which resulted in a final sample of 1,858 (or a response rate of 3.8 percent).

Ponemon constructed an independent variable called the Scam Index to measure each respondent’s susceptibility to an online scam. In addition to scenario data, the survey collected attitudinal and demographic information to determine the impact of these variables on the Scam Index.

About Ponemon

Ponemon Institute is dedicated to independent research and education that advances responsible information and privacy management practices within business and government. Its mission is to conduct high quality, empirical studies on critical issues affecting the management and security of sensitive information about people and organizations.

As a member of the Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO), the Ponemon Institute upholds strict information confidentiality, privacy and ethical research standards. It does not collect any personally identifiable information from individuals (or organization identifiable information in its business research). Furthermore, the Ponemon Institute has strict quality standards to ensure that subjects are not asked extraneous, irrelevant or improper questions.

About PC Tools

PC Tools is dedicated to building simple, effective and affordable PC protection and performance tools. For over thirteen years, we have offered industry-leading and award-winning products to tackle the world’s evolving threats and security challenges.

The PC Tools Malware Research Center monitors trends and emerging spyware issues and provides security solutions for the consumer and enterprise marketplace. The company has staff in Mountain View, Sydney, London and Kiev. PC Tools has a global network of distributors, resellers, and retailers.

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