Chinese surfers are biggest victims of cyber crime

CHINESE USERS are most at risk of cyber crime, according to a survey of over 7,000 people, with an average cost to victims of $338.

Symantec's Norton division Norton Cybercrime Report found that Chinese users are most at risk with 83 per cent having fallen prey to computer viruses, credit card fraud and identity theft at one time or another. And this is despite their Internet access being the most controlled in the world.

Brazil and India tied for second place, followed by the US with 73 per cent. Overall 65 per cent of Internet users have been victims of cyber crime. Over a quarter of respondents said that the time it took to get the crime sorted out was the biggest problem. The average online crime took 28 days to resolve.

"We accept cyber crime because of a 'learned helplessness'," said Joseph LaBrie, associate professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University. "It's like getting ripped off at a garage. If you don't know enough about cars, you don't argue with the mechanic. People just accept a situation, even if it feels bad."

However, people have a very lax view of personal responsibility when it comes to their own behaviour, the report found. Nearly half of respondents said that it is acceptable to download a pirated music track, and 24 per cent are happy to read someone's email without their knowledge. µ