More victims of bank phishing in 2019

In 2019, 12,432 consumers fell victim to phishing fraud, an increase of 27.5% compared to 2018. If we add up all fraud cases, we arrive at a total net loss of EUR 7,504,979. A calculation shows that in 2019 cybercriminals stole an average of 604 euros per victim. In the vast majority of cases, small amounts are involved, but sometimes large sums are also stolen.

Compared to 2018, not only is the total amount of fraud declining, but also the average loot per victim, which was still 827 euros in 2018. This may have to do with improved fraud detection systems at the banks and possibly higher consumer alertness when it comes to larger amounts, but the battle is certainly not over yet.

The number of fraud cases and the amounts stolen remain unacceptably high, while it is in principle possible to avoid phishing.

Cybercriminals are inventive when it comes to tapping into new channels. They send emails, text messages, WhatsApp messages... on behalf of banks, but they also pretend to be other companies such as telecom or energy suppliers.

They also approach consumers via social media and second-hand websites. All these attempts to elicit secret information about internet banking from consumers fall under the heading of phishing.

The banks are calling on consumers to be more vigilant. There is a simple way to prevent online banking fraud: to realize that banks or other companies will never ask for your online banking codes via a link. Not via email, not via Messenger, SMS, WhatsApp or any other channel.