Kaspersky Lab: “More than a third of Americans have been subjected to the theft of cryptocurrencies”

More than a third of Americans who own cryptocurrencies have been scammed, according to a Kaspersky Lab survey. Users do not pay due attention to the security measures of their crypto assets.

Kaspersky Lab specialists conducted a survey among 2 Americans from October 20 to 24, 2022, by asking them questions about their experience with cryptocurrencies and the measures taken to protect crypto assets. It turned out that a third of the respondents who had ever owned cryptocurrencies had their digital assets stolen through fraudulent websites or organizations. Among these victims, 19% of people had their personal data stolen and 27% had their payment details stolen. The average amount of stolen funds was $97.

The researchers found that 36% of survey participants aged 25 to 44 own digital assets, while for people over 55 this figure is only 10%. Nearly half of the respondents (47%) in the 18-24 age group said that cryptocurrencies had been stolen from them, and only 8% of people over 55 said the same.

In terms of funds protection measures, many respondents reviewed their crypto investments about six weeks ago. 32% of cryptocurrency holders have lost access to their account, 27% of users store their crypto assets on an exchange wallet without additional protection, and only 34% of respondents use multi-factor identification to protect their account. 25% of survey participants answered that they use an online wallet or browser plugin, 15% prefer desktop wallets, 15% keep funds in a cold wallet, and 11% keep money in a paper wallet.

“The list of threats to cryptocurrency users is extensive: scams, malware, phishing, and so on. Users must be careful when investing their money so as not to end up on fake sites. Additional security measures should be applied: multi-factor authentication, as well as creating unique passwords, ”said Marc Rivero, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

Recently, Kaspersky Lab specialists warned the public about phishing mailings in which users are invited to invest in the digital currency of the Bank of Russia.