A January 2024 survey of adults in the United Kingdom (UK) found that the most common reason for thinking a message sent to them was suspicious, was not recognizing the sender's account, with 55 percent of the respondents stating so. Furthermore, the second-most common sign of a suspicious message was the poorly written content, full of grammar errors.
Reasons adults in the United Kingdom (UK) thought messages on social media were suspicious as of January 2024
Characteristic
Share of respondents
Didn't recognise/know the number/sender/account who called/messaged/posted the content
55%
Poorly written content (e.g. wrong spelling/grammar/poor spoken English)
49%
Offered rewards which seemed 'too good to be true' (e.g. promise of free money/unrealistically high return on investment/extremely low price for a product/service)
30%
Inconsistent profile information (e.g. photos/bio of the supposedly same person didn't match)
24%
The call/message was from an international number/abroad
20%
Suspicious imagery (e.g. photos of a luxurious lifestyle/money)
20%
Heard/saw warnings about it before
19%
No/poor-quality logo
14%
The scammer expressed a strong personal/emotional attachment too soon
Original question: "Still thinking about the suspicious content or activity you've experienced via [type of channel]...Which of the following reasons made you think it was suspicious? (Please select all that apply)."
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Ofcom, & YouGov. (January 31, 2024). Reasons adults in the United Kingdom (UK) thought messages on social media were suspicious as of January 2024 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 19, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546898/uk-adults-suspicious-messages-social-media/
Ofcom, und YouGov. "Reasons adults in the United Kingdom (UK) thought messages on social media were suspicious as of January 2024." Chart. January 31, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 19, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546898/uk-adults-suspicious-messages-social-media/
Ofcom, YouGov. (2024). Reasons adults in the United Kingdom (UK) thought messages on social media were suspicious as of January 2024. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 19, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546898/uk-adults-suspicious-messages-social-media/
Ofcom, and YouGov. "Reasons Adults in The United Kingdom (Uk) Thought Messages on Social Media Were Suspicious as of January 2024." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Jan 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546898/uk-adults-suspicious-messages-social-media/
Ofcom & YouGov, Reasons adults in the United Kingdom (UK) thought messages on social media were suspicious as of January 2024 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546898/uk-adults-suspicious-messages-social-media/ (last visited December 19, 2024)
Reasons adults in the United Kingdom (UK) thought messages on social media were suspicious as of January 2024 [Graph], Ofcom, & YouGov, January 31, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546898/uk-adults-suspicious-messages-social-media/
