One in 10 Germans victim of online identity theft
More than one in 10 people in Germany, or 11%, has been a victim of identity theft online, according to a survey conducted by the opinion research institute YouGov.
In the online survey, which took place at the beginning of March, a total of 2,058 people were questioned.
The results were based on the opinions of representatives of the German population aged 18 and over.
The study describes identity theft as a type of fraud.
Criminals use data such as name, date of birth, address or credit card or account numbers of their victims to create user accounts with online services and make purchases or enter into contracts at someone else’s expense.
“Victims usually realize this only when it is too late and transfers have been posted to the account or bills have arrived,” the study said.
Many cybercriminals are currently taking advantage of Germany’s tight housing market.
For example, people looking for a flat are being tricked by a false advertisement to complete a postal identification procedure for an application for a purported viewing of the flat.
Those affected often do not realize that they are simply helping fraudsters open a bank account in their name that will be used for criminal purposes, such as cleaning money.
“Although the risk is increasing, many people are obviously still taking the issue lightly,” said a spokeswoman for the initiative.
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