One in four French people have already lost money due to a cyber-attack, one month to protect yourself

A &amp ;study shows that many French people are still easily fooled by scams.

Prevention and vigilance messages abound, and yet some people still get caught. While digital technology has the ability to connect the entire world in just a few clicks, it is also a predatory space for scammers, ready for the most elaborate tricks to steal money. While more and more French people are managing to spot scams in time and avoid getting trapped, the proportion of people who still cannot tell a real ad from a fake one is still significant. To the point of losing money that you never see again.

This is the result of a survey conducted by the Ipsos* institute on behalf of “Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr”, a government agency providing assistance and prevention in cybersecurity matters. Unveiled this Thursday, September 12, the results (based on 3,100 responses) show that even if 6 out of 10 French people say they are well informed about the risks of the Internet, the constant innovations in terms of scams can quickly make them fall into the trap.

"Newés" of the moment, deepfakes (video or audio recordings made or modified using artificial intelligence) and ransomware ccedilongiiels (software that blocks access to the computer in exchange for payment) are known to only 30% of the population and that only 7% are aware of smishing, the widespread scam of fake SMS asking to pay a fine or warning of a levy vement falsely denied&eacute by the bank.

Although the terms are not always well known to the population, 85% of French people say they always do their research before buying online, to ensure they are not the victim of a scam. Despite this vigilance, the “old tricks” on the phone, such as the fake bank advisor, continue to affect some French people, with 20% of those surveyed having been confronted with this problem. Above all, the survey shows that 22% of those questioned, or just under a quarter, have already lost money due to a scam during the year.

Cybermoi/s, a month of prevention

Faced with this phenomenon and “despite an apparent knowledge of risks and good practices”, as Jérôme Notin, CEO of Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, points out, "this survey demonstrates more than ever the need to raise awareness among the younger generations who seem particularly exposed." The organization is launching the 12th edition of its Cybermoi/s on October 1, during which numerous awareness-raising actions on the dangers of scams will be carried out by more than 1,000 participating entities.

Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr is offering many highlights throughout the month of October, including a #CyberEngaged citizen action to enable everyone to get involved. Starting October 1, for the launch of Cybermoi/s, everyone is invited to take part on social networks, in particular by posting the cyber advice of their choice. A Cybermoi/s launch event to mobilize all audiences is also scheduled at the National Assembly, on Wednesday, October 2 in the afternoon. It will be broadcast live on the Cybermoi website/s.

Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr will also present its new edition of the Cyber ​​Quiz, based on the educational support of the Cyber ​​Guide Famille from October 1, as well as new Consomags films in partnership with the INC. An operation to ImpactCyber, aimed at VSEs and SMEs, is also designed to convince them to secure themselves upstream, based on a study assessing the level of cyber maturity of companies, an awareness campaign and a cybersecurity guide.  attention of managers.

*Ipsos.Digital study carried out for Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr from July 2 to August 12 on a sample of
3100 French 18-year-olds 75 years