According to data gathered by Finanso.se, 56 per cent  of Europeans have experienced at least one type of fraud in the last two years. One third of them became victims of identity theft, making it the second most common type of fraud in Europe.

In 2018 and 2019, the monetary scam was the most frequently encountered type of fraud in Europe with 39 percent of respondents reporting this type of criminal activity, revealed the European Commission Survey on Scams and Fraud Experiences by Consumers. Identity theft ranked second, with a third of all fraud attacks. Another 23 percent of consumers reported buying scams, which remains the third most-common type of fraud activity in Europe.

Compared by regions, Western Europeans were more likely to have experienced identity theft fraud in the last two years. The statistics show the United Kingdom ranked as the leading country among them, with 53 percent of respondents experiencing this type of fraud.

Ireland ranked second with a 50 percent share, while Denmark, the Netherlands, and France follow with 45 percent, 42 percent, and 39 percent, respectively.

Although recent years have witnessed significant progress in identity theft protection technologies and solutions, the survey showed many Western Europeans had significant problems with protecting their sensitive information.

Cyprus, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Estonia had the lowest identity theft rate, all with less than 10 percent of respondents experiencing this type of fraud.

Analyzed by the method, nearly half of all identity theft attacks in European countries happened by using e-mail. Another 39 percent of fraudsters used the phone to attack their victims. Online ads, text messages, and social media platforms follow with five percent,  four percent, and three percent respectively.

The statistics show 25 percent of Europeans exposed to any fraud suffered financial damage, causing a total loss of around €24 billion in two years.
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