According to a new study conducted by VeriSign, 86% of Australian internet users are at risk of online fraud, while in India the amount of vulnerable users makes up 76%. 

According to the research, Australia is one of the most vulnerable nations, as well as the UK and the USA, while Germany and Sweden are the best at protecting themselves online. Thus, USA has the minimum chances of recognizing a phishing site amid Sweden, Germany, Denmark, USA, UK, Australia and India, countries chosen for the survey.   

VeriSign research report reflects that despite education efforts by banks and online retailers, Australian consumers are still falling for scammer’s traps, with 23% falling victim. The most risk age group is between 45 to 54 which are 25% less likely to spot a scam than others. People over 65 year olds are more than twice as likely to fail to check a websites details and 43% failed to pick up inaccurate URL addresses. The younger users are still at risk and are more prone to respond to scare tactics, with 26% failing to identify a fake site.

Indian people who are most adept at recognizing a phishing website are within 18-24 years of age while those within 45-54 years are 14% less adept at recognizing such a site. India represents the only nation where women and men are not differentiated in their capability for recognizing a phishing website. The survey also found that the majority of people who are at risk from phishing attacks are the elderly and middle aged individuals.