Fourteen Percent Fell Victim to Scams in the Past Year, as Social Media Overtook Email as Cybercriminals’ Preferred Delivery Channel; AI Scams Emerge as a Growing Consumer Fear
BUCHAREST, Romania and SAN ANTONIO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Bitdefender, a leading global cybersecurity company, today released the 2025 Consumer Cybersecurity Survey, based on an independent survey of more than 7,000 consumers worldwide. The report reveals key cybersecurity behaviors, practices, and concerns shaping how individuals engage with technology in their daily lives, highlighting persistent gaps that leave many vulnerable to malware, fraud, scams, and data theft. This year’s findings also underscore the double-edged role of artificial intelligence (AI): while it powers advanced protections for consumers, it is also being weaponized by cybercriminals to create more convincing scams and mislead the public.
“These findings highlight the growing importance of cybersecurity awareness as attacks on consumers become more frequent and sophisticated in the age of AI,” said Ciprian Istrate, senior vice president of operations for Bitdefender Consumer Solutions Group. “Bitdefender has long pioneered the use of ‘good’ AI to prevent cybercrime, but threat actors are now using it to strengthen their attacks. Strong passwords, responsible cookie management, and reliable security solutions can all help to reduce risk. Cybercriminals are relentless, but with awareness and the correct tools, customers can defend themselves.
The 2025 Consumer Cybersecurity poll is based on an independent poll and analysis of more than 7,000 consumers from Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States.
Key findings from the 2025 Consumer Cybersecurity Survey include:
- AI scams dominate consumer fears – When asked about artificial intelligence, the most common concern was its application in complex schemes like deepfakes (37%), followed by job loss (30%) and misinformation (29%). Regional concerns vary: respondents in the United Kingdom were most concerned about AI displacing human jobs (39%), while Germany, Italy, and Spain placed misinformation as the second-most serious threat behind frauds. Nearly half of those aged 55 and more (46%) are concerned about AI frauds, compared to slightly more than one-third of Millennials (34%).
- Scams continue to hit consumers hard – Fourteen percent of respondents (1 in 7) reported being a victim of a scam in the previous year, with another 4% unsure. Based on an average scam loss of $545*, survey participants lost more than $534,000 alone. The United States had the highest number of scam victims (17%), followed by the United Kingdom (16%) and Australia (16%), with France having the lowest (11%).
- Social media overtakes email as cybercriminals’ top channel for scams – Social media now accounts for 34% of all successful frauds, exceeding email (28%), phone calls (25%), text messaging (24%), and online ads (21%). There are significant age differences: those aged 25-34 were more than twice as likely as those 55 and older to be defrauded using social media (43% vs 20%). Bitdefender’s analysis supports these findings, indicating a significant surge in criminals using social media for malvertising, malware dissemination, and hacking high-profile accounts.
- Consumers juggle an average of five online accounts – Respondents reported managing an average of five online accounts, with nearly two-thirds holding at least three. About one-third (32.8%) have 3–5 accounts, and another 32.4% have 6–9 accounts, a slight dip compared to 2024. U.K. respondents led with the most (40% holding 6–9 accounts), while Spain (21.7%) and France (25.6%) had the fewest.
- Poor password practices continue to undermine security – Over one-third (37%) of respondents still write down passwords, while 32% reuse the same password across multiple accounts. U.S. (42.6%) and Italian (41.6%) respondents were most likely to write down passwords, while U.K. respondents were least likely (29.9%). Meanwhile, 27% use password managers, 16% rely on browser autofill, and 13.6% use Apple’s password autofill feature. Younger consumers (ages 16–34) were more likely than those 55+ to reuse passwords across three or more accounts (20% vs 14%), with higher rates of poor password hygiene among those who had been scammed (23%) versus those who had not (16%).
- Cookie complacency endangers both privacy and security – Nearly half (48%) of respondents accept all cookies by default, while only 36% manually manage them and 16% reject all. Alarmingly, 75% said they don’t read—or only skim—the terms before accepting. Convenience drove behavior: 70% said they accepted all cookies to reach content quickly, while 25% were unconcerned about data tracking. This leaves consumers open to privacy and security risks, as cookies can enable profiling, data exploitation, and even session hijacking.
- Mobile and device security often overlooked – Nearly half (48%) of respondents do not utilize a third-party security solution on their phone, even though 53% make critical transactions such as bill payments or online shopping. Device protection is also lacking: 58% of respondents reported not safeguarding their laptops with third-party solutions, while 82% said the same of their tablets. U.S. respondents were least likely to protect their phones (44.3%), compared to higher adoption in Spain and Italy (57%). Alarmingly, over 10% acknowledged to using work devices for personal financial activities, increasing both personal danger and organizational exposure.