Almost 90% of online adults are concerned about becoming
a victim ofphishing attacks.
Independent research commissioned by e-mail security firm
Cloudmark shows that 89% of adults are equally or more concerned
about becoming a phishing victim than they were last year.
Phishing attacks are e-mail scams that attempt to defraud
consumers of their personal information by pretending to have been
sent by a trustworthy entity such as a bank or credit lender.
Despite the concern, according to the poll, online adults still
engage in at least one of the five major activities that often lead
to becoming a victim of a phishing attack.
The survey of 2,215 adults found that 37% have opened e-mails
from unknown senders.
In addition, 13% have clicked on links in e-mails from unknown
senders, and 16% have given out personal information on a website
when the information was "optional".
Also, 9% have opened
attachments in e-mails from unknown senders, and 6% have
responded to e-mails claiming there was a problem with their
account - for instance, they owe money or are owed money.