GASA Reports Shopping Scams and Identity Theft Crimes in DACH Region Cost Victims €12.44 Billion in Losses

Scams are inflicting serious harm on consumers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, according to a study by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA). The most recent reports reveal that scammers stole €12.44 billion from victims (an average loss of €2,263 per victim) in the DACH regions in 2023.

While 55% of participants reported increased scam encounters, 64% did not report these incidents to law enforcement. Shopping scams and identity theft were the most common types of fraud, primarily delivered through emails and text messages to victims. This reflects how scammers use digitalization and AI to refine their techniques, mainly targeting vulnerable and less tech-savvy users.

Email and Phone Calls Dominate the Scam Delivery System

The rise of digital communication has created new vulnerabilities for consumers throughout the DACH region. Scammers use trusted platforms to exploit sensitive information and steal money from victims through social engineering techniques.

The GASA report shows that email (70% of reports) is the most common delivery method for scams in the DACH region, followed by phone calls (53%) and SMS (45%). Sixty percent of respondents suffered scam attempts via these channels.

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have also become hotbeds for scams, which aligns with the GASA report's findings that many respondents were targeted on these platforms.

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Gmail, WhatsApp, and Facebook Lead the Way as Most Targeted Platforms

According to the report, scammers most frequently target DACH consumers on Gmail and Facebook. About 33% of respondents said they were approached by fraudsters via Gmail, followed by Facebook and WhatsApp, at 22% each.

Despite repeated efforts by these companies to curb fraud, the findings suggest more needs to be done, including strengthening user education and platform-based security measures that are essential to reducing scam-related risks.

Read more about social media and email scams in these dedicated articles:

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Email Scams: How to Spot, Avoid and Report Them

Most Common Scams: Shopping and Identity Theft Lead The Way

Shopping scams were the most prevalent, followed by identity theft. With the rise of online shopping, scammers are creating fake online stores or selling counterfeit products, tricking consumers into purchasing goods that never arrive. In Switzerland, identity theft is particularly concerning, accounting for 13% of scams, according to the survey. This suggests that cybercriminals in the DACH region are becoming more adept at stealing personal data to commit financial fraud.

Additionally, scammers target vulnerable groups with fake invoices or debt collection attempts, often accompanied by intimidating tactics such as threats of legal action or extortion.

Users Underreport Scams

A worrying 64% of scam victims chose not to report their experiences to local authorities, primarily due to a lack of faith in law enforcement and the belief that reporting won’t make a difference. Efforts to improve reporting mechanisms and encourage victims to come forward will be crucial in empowering law enforcement to tackle scam operations more effectively.

Financial Losses and Limited Recovery Among Victims

The report revealed that only 12% of victims in the DACH region who attempted to get their money back were able to fully recover any lost funds. Some 58% of victims tried to recover losses but were unable to do so. The financial damage caused by scams is often long-lasting, and the recovery process is difficult. More robust financial recovery mechanisms and support from banks and financial institutions are necessary to help victims regain their losses.

The Emotional Toll of Scams

While financial losses are significant, the emotional impact of scams is equally severe. The report found that 60% of victims suffered emotional distress, such as shame, guilt, and embarrassment. These psychological effects can be long-lasting, particularly for the elderly or those targeted by emotionally manipulative scams like romance fraud.

Users in the DACH region also cited two reasons for falling for scams: an inability to identify the scam or acting too quickly.

As scams continue to spread in the DACH region, a coordinated effort is essential to protect consumers and reduce fraud. Key actions include:

Public awareness campaigns: Educating the public about scam types and how to identify them is crucial.
Strengthening reporting systems: Streamlined, accessible reporting systems encourage victims to come forward and help authorities combat fraud.
Stronger platform protections: Social media, email providers, and messaging apps must bolster defenses and actively remove fraudulent accounts.
Improved financial recovery methods: Banks and financial institutions should create better mechanisms for victims to recover lost funds.

By focusing on these areas, authorities, companies, and financial institutions can work together to reduce the impact of scams and improve consumer protection.

Bitdefender’s Role in Scam Protection

As a member of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), Bitdefender plays a key role in protecting people from scams. Bitdefender leverages advanced cybersecurity technologies and AI to detect and prevent fraudulent activity in real-time across multiple platforms, including:

Web Protection to secure your browsing and block malicious or fraudulent websites.
Email Protection to shield your inbox against phishing attempts
Scam Alert to monitor SMS and chats for scams and malicious links
Scamio: Our dedicated AI-powered scam detector helps users identify scams through various channels, including web browsers, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp.

You can access Scamio on any device or operating system via web browser, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp. The scam detection tool is free to use and offers a user-friendly interface where users can check if any suspicious correspondence, they have received is a scam attempt, or they can describe a conversation or scenario to receive a verdict in seconds. You can also help others stay safe by sharing Scamio with them in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Australia, and the UK