Confidence in the Security of Online Shopping Backslides

Consumer confidence in the security of online shopping has declined significantly, dropping from 89% to 72% compared to the previous year, according to Norton's 2023 Cyber Safety Insights Report. The report details that one in four online shoppers have fallen victim to a scam when shopping online, generating average financial losses of around MX$4,347 (US$247.87) for consumers in Mexico. These figures underscore the need for greater cybersecurity awareness among e-commerce consumers.

According to Norton’s report, cybercriminals are deliberately targeting their victims during the holiday shopping season when consumers are actively “look[ing] for discounts on popular holiday gifts, make last-minute purchases, and overlook suspicious activity,” said Iskander Sanchez-Rola, Director of Privacy Innovation, Norton. The primary channels cybercriminals are exploiting are social media platforms and third-party websites, ensnaring 46% and 35% global online shoppers respectively. Following these preferred mediums, cybercriminals are also using deceptive emails (32%), fraudulent phone calls (28%) and text messages (26%). Collectively, these figures serve to highlight the continuous prevalence of diverse cybercriminal activities. 

Despite the associated risks of online shopping, 98% of Mexican respondents expressed their intent to make online purchases. Among this group, 37% of them indicated that online platforms would be their primary mode of shopping. Nevertheless, 33% of Mexican consumers acknowledged they are not “really sure of the best ways to shop safely online”, underscoring a prevalent lack of cybersecurity awareness among Mexico's shoppers. The major concerns among Mexican online shoppers include the fear of their personal information being compromised (73%), the possibility of falling victim to cybercrime (67%), and the risk of being scammed by a third-party retailer (64%).

In particular, consumers are concerned about their most vulnerable family members, like seniors, that lack the cybersecurity awareness to properly discern the legitimacy of suspicious online websites and promotions. "Many worry about their elderly family members being deceived by scams via suspicious emails or messages containing fake offers". Nonetheless, “individuals are also cautious about falling prey to purchase frauds [themselves], whether through sophisticated scams or external retailers," reads the Norton report.

Cybercriminals are employing different techniques to hack shopping consumers during these promotions, including phishing scams, malvertising attacks, and credit card e-skimming. To mitigate the success rates of these hacking techniques, experts at Cyber Zaintza advise consumers to carry out regular software updates, confirm the reliability of the visited website, and employ robust, complex passwords to protect their online accounts against potential data breaches. 

“You can help save yourself from the financial toll of falling victim to cybercriminals by mastering the ability to spot scams and remaining vigilant for any suspicious links or unusual activity in your bank and credit card accounts,” says Steve Wilson, Senior Director, North Europe, Gen. In fact, the effectiveness of cyberthreats currently employed by hackers within Mexico may be related to a lack of cybersecurity awareness among its citizens, with 86% of victims expressing a desire to better understand how to protect themselves against cybercriminals. 

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