One in five urban Indians have claimed that they have suffered financial loss due to a scam and about 47 per cent said one of their friends or family members have bvictims of a financial fraud, according to a survey held last month.
Only 28 per cent haven't lost any money and 10 per cent are unsure of their view, according to data released by YouGov. The online survey, with a sample size of 1,022 respondents, was held between November 6 and 13 and targeted Indians aged above 18.
About 30 per cent urban Indians claim they receive scam texts, calls or messages every day while 24 per cent respondents said they get such spams once in a week. Another 12 per cent said they get them on a monthly basis while others said they are spammed every few months (14 per cent) or longer (7 per cent).
The survey revealed that online shopping or classified scams (27 per cent) and job scams (26 per cent) are the most prevalent types of frauds in the country. About 21 per cent of respondents said they were victims of bank related and card phishing scams, followed by investment scams (19 per cent) amd lottery scams (18 per cent).
Another 17 per cent said they were victims of social media phishing scams and loan scams. Others pointed out they were targets by charity scams (12 per cent), government phishing scams (12 per cent) and dating scams (11 per cent).
A survey also showed that different scams targeted different generations. For example, 33 per cent millenials fell victims to online shopping scams while 31 per cent Gen Z were targeted by job frauds.
About 29 per cent urban Indians claimed they have never been a victim of scams. However, a closer look at different generations reveals an interesting trend. Among Baby Boomers, 49 per cent said they never got scammed compared to 25 per cent millennials.
Only 30 per cent victims claimed they have reported the scams to authorities while about 59 per cent did not report it. Among those who reported the crime, 48 per cent said they got their money back while 46 per cent did not.
About 26 per cent respondents said the government should be responsible for bearing scam losses while 23 per cent believed the consumer should bear the responsibility. Another 22 per cent said the banks should be held accountable and reimburse the money to customers while 4 per cent said telecommunication firms are responsible.
About 65 per cent respondents said protect themselves from scams by not revealing their personal or financial information to anyone. About 59 per cent said they ignore or block unknown emails and phone numbers while 57 per cent said they avoid downloading software and apps from unofficials sources. Another 55 per cent said they verify suspicious numbers and emails.
