By Joy Fang

SINGAPOREANS are quite lax in protecting themselves online, a survey has found.

Nearly half of the 1,874 respondents, polled online between May and July this year, believed that online fraud could happen only to people who are careless with their information.

But this is not true, Internet security experts say.

People are still susceptible to attacks, such as drive-by downloads.

Such malicious software, or malware, downloads spyware or viruses onto the user's computer without his knowledge, when he might simply be visiting a website, viewing an e-mail or clicking on a pop-up window.

The survey also found that 31 per cent are vulnerable to malware and other Internet threats,
as they rely solely on security software that they download for free off the Internet.

Mr Effendy Ibrahim, consumer- business lead for online-security firm Symantec Asia Pacific, said that free security software offers insufficient protection, and some might even be fake.

The results of the survey, which was commissioned by Symantec, are worrying, as cybercrime is prevalent worldwide, said Mr Effendy.

A survey done this year by American magazine Consumer Reports, which is published by the Consumers Union in the United States, said that one in five online consumers has been a victim of cybercrime, such as identity fraud and phishing scams, in the last two years.

The Symantec survey found that many Singaporeans take part in activities that put them at risk of cybercrime: 43 per cent give out their personal information online at least once a week, for activities like online shopping or Internet banking.

Mr Effendy said: "The Internet is intertwined with our lives. It's amazing that people don't really
sense the danger."

Information-technology executive Wyman Hor, 24, almost became a victim of online fraud when he registered at an online auction site which promised extremely low prices. To bid, one needed to purchase credits with a credit card.

After some research, he found out that it was a scam. Automated bidders drove up bids, so that consumers had to buy more credits to win them.

He deleted his account immediately.

"I was careless then and gave my information for registration. Who knows what information of yours resides on their servers?" he said.

He has since installed a reputable security software that he updates daily, and researches sites more thoroughly before registering his personal details on them.

Staying safe online

• Use reputable security software for protection.
• Shop only at websites that have good reputations.
• Type in the Web address when you are being directed to another website, instead of clicking on the link.
• When you receive e-mail asking for your personal information, call and check if the e-mail is from the supposed sender.
• Keep different user identities and passwords, and protect them.
• Monitor your financial statements every month.

joyfang@sph.com.sg

For more my paper stories click here.