A recent Eurobarometer survey reveals that only 31% of Romanians feel well informed about cybercrime, under the EU28 average of 47%.

When using the Internet for things like online banking or buying things online, most of the Romanians, namely 36%, are concerned about the security of online payments. A similar percentage of 35% prefer to conduct the transaction in person while 28% are worried about someone misusing their personal data.

Almost 70% of Romanians think they can protect themselves sufficiently against cybercrime, close to the EU28 average of 74%.

Some 84% of Romanian respondents avoid disclosing information online, similar to the EU28 average of 89%. Almost 80% of Romanians believe the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime is increasing while 67% are concerned that their online personal data is not kept secure by websites.

Two thirds of Romanians are worried that their personal information is not kept secure by public authorities.

Most of the Romanians, namely 63%, are concerned that they may become victims of identity theft, close to the EU28 average of 68%. Over 60% are concerned that they may discover malicious software on their devices, 57% fear that they may be a victim of bank card or online banking fraud and 59% are worried about the fact that their social media or email account might be hacked.

Almost half of Romanians, namely 47%, said they’ve discovered malicious software on their devices, 24% received emails or phone calls fraudulently asking for access to their computers, logins or personal data, while 20% said they were not able to access online services because of cyber-attacks. A much lower percentage, of 6%, said they’ve been victims of bank card or online banking fraud.

36% of Romanians use the Internet on a daily basis, 18% use it often/sometimes while 34% have never used the internet/have no internet access.

The survey was conducted between October 11 and October 20, 2014. Find the entire Eurobarometer survey on Romania here.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com