Telecom. IT: Sixty-one percent of Romanians say they have been the target of online fraud attempts

 As many as 61% of Romanians say they have been the target of online fraud attempts, although 68% of Romanians in urban areas consider themselves well informed and aware of the risks related to online scams, according to a recent survey.According to Reveal Marketing Research, the most common consequences of online fraud are infection of the device with malware or viruses (42%) and loss of money (30%)."Among the most popular types of online fraud that Romanians say they would admit to are phishing emails or messages, such as fake messages that appear to be from banks (73%), followed by social media scams, such as fake accounts that ask for money or personal data (72%). Also, 69% of respondents say they can identify fraudulent phone calls, while 53% say they can recognise fake websites that imitate well-known brands or exciting promotions and contests," according to the market research company that conducted the survey.People aged 35-44 years seem to be more often targets of repeated cheating attempts, with 49% of them reporting multiple experiences.Regarding the impact of fraud attempts, the most common consequences reported by victims are infection of the device with malware or viruses (42%), loss of money (30%) and theft of personal data, such as banking information, passwords and documents (22%).The survey shows that young people between 18-24 years old have lost money most often due to online fraud (42%), while people between 45-55 years old (49%) and seniors over 55 years old (52%) are more often faced with infecting devices with malware or viruses.Personal data theft is more common among men (27%) than women (17%), which may be correlated with the fact that men tend to take more risks online, either by using more varied platforms or by having greater exposure to trading sites.In order to protect themselves against online scams, Romanians adopt a series of precautionary measures, with the most common being avoiding giving personal data in unsolicited messages (67%), refusing to access suspicious links received by e-mail or SMS (63%) and checking the source of messages and the sites they visit (60%).Also, 42% of respondents use two-factor authentication for their accounts, and 41% use antivirus or security software. As a general trend, seniors over 55 years old are the most cautious in online interactions."Online fraud is taking on new dimensions with the rapid development of artificial intelligence. According to another recent study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research, 41% of Romanians in urban areas feel in difficulty or have not tried to identify the content generated by artificial intelligence. Thus, the phenomenon of online scams becomes a major risk, and brands and companies must understand the needs and behaviours of users, as well as security trends in order to provide them with support," Marius Luican, general manager of Reveal Marketing Research, is quoted as saying in a press release.Romanians believe that brands and companies can play an essential role in protecting users against online fraud. Among the solutions mentioned are the implementation of systems to verify the authenticity of messages, such as e-mails with a digital signature (45%), the implementation of information and education campaigns about online scams (25%) and the display of more warnings on websites and applications regarding the risks of fraud (17%).Data suggest that while users are taking individual measures to protect themselves, there is a clear need for additional support from companies to effectively combat the growing phenomenon of online fraud.The study was conducted online between March 17-21, 2025 on a nationally representative sample for people aged 18+, internet users, in urban areas. The sample size was 1000 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/-3.1% at a 95% confidence level.Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company specialising in marketing research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development.