The Compliance Institute, in conjunction with iReach polled 1,000 people nationwide in relation to scams and hacking. The survey found that people aged between 25 and 44 were most likely to confirm their data has been shared, with over three in ten people reporting a leak. More men than women reported they had fallen victim to data breaches (30pc vs. 25pc), while Dubliners are the most affected county at 35pc.
1 in every 2 people are targeted with spam calls or texts at least every month.
Over a quarter (27pc) of Irish people believe their personal data has been illegally shared or leaked.
Just 1 in 5 respondents are absolutely certain their data has never been hacked.
Michael Kavanagh, CEO of the Compliance Institute commented:
“The findings are reflective of the numerous data breaches we have seen reported in the media in recent past. Personal information about people’s lives such as their financial data, employment details, medical history, as well as confidential conversations can and often are shared with unintended recipients as a result of hacking or scams.
While the legislation around third-party data and GDPR is growing and companies are under increasing regulatory obligations as to how they treat and keep customer data, hackers and cyber criminals are continuously improving their practices, constantly finding new ways of stealing material and outsmarting even the most advanced of security systems.
It is important that people take ownership of what they can do to protect their data. Simple steps like ensuring they have adequate security and anti-virus software on their pcs and laptops are crucial. Regular password changes, while they might be a nuisance are always very important”.
The Compliance Institute survey also gave an insight into how people are targeted with spam texts, emails, and calls on a regular basis.
Highlights from the survey include:
• Spam emails topped the list of most intrusive unsolicited forms of communication.
• 74pc of people surveyed claim to receive spam emails every month while, one in four (25pc) are in receipt of them on a daily basis.
• Over six in ten (63pc) of the respondents surveyed said they received spam texts “frequently”.
• 24pc are sent at least one spam text message every week.
• The group most affected by spam texts were those aged between 18 and 34 with 43pc of these cohorts being the recipient of a monthly spam text to their inbox.
• Perhaps, the most intrusive method of spamming – spam calls – affected 57pc of people with over one fifth (22pc) falling victim to such calls on a weekly basis.