Portuguese citizens defrauded by more than 800 euros on average in digital fraud schemes
Kaspersky investigation shows Portugal among countries hit hardest by messaging application scams, with losses above global average.
Portuguese citizens defrauded by more than 800 euros on average in digital fraud schemes
An analysis by Kaspersky, a leading cybersecurity firm, indicates that residents of Portugal are among those most affected by scams on instant messaging platforms. The average loss per victim in the country stands at around 800 euros, an amount exceeding the global average of 675 euros, according to figures released by Correio da Manhã.
The perpetrators of these crimes increasingly use artificial intelligence systems to clone company identities, reproduce the voice tones of relatives and create fictional relationships with targets. The growing sophistication of schemes on social networks makes their detection more difficult.
WhatsApp emerges as the most exploited application in the country, accounting for 56.57% of incidents. Following this are text messages (49.4%) and Facebook (17.5%). The majority of those affected (52%) hand over money or private information in less than half an hour, with 14% doing so in less than five minutes.
Despite almost half (45.4%) of cases involving amounts below 125 euros, more than 18% of victims suffered losses exceeding 1,245 euros. The phenomenon proves persistent: 28% of Portuguese respondents report having been victims of three or more fraud schemes in the past six months.
Kaspersky expert Marc Rivero emphasises that "artificial intelligence is helping fraudsters convincingly imitate brands, familiar voices and personal relationships. Being aware of the problem is no longer sufficient protection".
Source: Correio da Manhã