New research reveals hidden cybercrime mental health crisis
British victims of cybercrime report fear, anxiety and shame lasting months, and call for more support, according to research from Akamai
A survey of 1,002 Britons who have been a victim of cybercrime in the past year, commissioned by Akamai, reveals most are ashamed of their experience, feel they've done something wrong, and believe there's an unfair stigma placed on them.
Cybercrime causes significant mental health damage
On average, cybercrime costs the victims surveyed £808. As a result, one in five struggled to pay their bills or had to cut back spending on essentials like food in the wake of the financial losses their cybercrime incurred. However, the damage cybercrime causes to mental health is less widely understood.
Nearly two-thirds of Britons said they felt traumatised by what happened to them (62%), and a majority also admitted to feelings of shame (59%) and embarrassment (67%). Over half (55%) said they continued to experience anxiety after the cybercrime, especially while using online services, and nearly one in three (29%) had trouble sleeping.
Despite this, many Britons are likely to hide the cybercrime they experienced from others. More than two-fifths (43%) said they avoided telling people about what happened to them, out of fear that they would be judged. A similar number (41%) admitted they hid the true extent of the emotional impact. Nearly two-thirds (64%) blamed themselves for what happened.
'Cybercrime is incredibly common. And with the rise of AI, it's becoming even more difficult to tell the difference between a genuine request from someone you know, and a scammer," said
Combatting 'cyberstigma'
The Britons surveyed experienced a wide range of cybercrimes, including phishing (57%), identity theft (33%), phone hacking (30%), and ransomware (15%). But the majority said they couldn't find resources and support to help them (55%), and that there needs to be more support for cybercrime victims (70%). Britons reported it took an average of ten weeks for them to feel back to normal after the cybercrime they suffered.
To address this problem, Akamai has published a new guide for dealing with the mental health impact of cybercrime, in partnership with Dr
Download It's Time to Talk About Cyberstigma here: https://www.akamai.com/resources/ebook/akamai-cyberstigma-guide
"Cybercrime can be devastating to an individual's mental well-being. As this research has shown, self-blame is common, and feeds into feelings of inadequacy that can be incredibly toxic," said Dr
About the research
The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1002 respondents who have been a victim of a cybercrime (in the last 12 months) in the
About Akamai
Akamai Security protects the applications that drive your business at every point of interaction, without compromising performance or customer experience. By leveraging the scale of our global platform and its visibility to threats, we partner with you to prevent, detect, and mitigate threats, so you can build brand trust and deliver on your vision. Learn more about Akamai's cloud computing, security, and content delivery solutions at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow
About Dr
Dr
Media Contact: Akamai PR, akamaiPR@akamai.com
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