Cybercrime and users in Italy - statistics & facts
The increased digitalization of Italian society led to higher cyber risk for users. While the lack of tech skills is often associated with challenges in digitalizing the Italian public administration, the ever-increasing online adoption in the country has multiplied the points of encounter between users and online scammers. The annual cost of cybercrime in Italy was estimated to have reached 66 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, a significant increase since 2021, when the country’s loss to online crime was 32.4 billion U.S. dollars.
Among all threats found on the internet, online fraud represents one of the most common dangers to users. In 2022 and 2023, online scammers and fraudsters were estimated to have embezzled a cumulative 250 million euros from their Italian victims, with the financial damages from fraud cases experiencing an increase of 20 percent year-over-year in 2023. E-commerce scams, such as brand impersonation and phishing scams, were the most common type of online fraud targeting users in Italy, as over 50 percent of the cases reported to the authorities covered scams taking place on online shopping platforms and e-commerce sites.
Despite their widespread presence, e-commerce fraud cases led to the embezzlement of less than five million euros from Italian users during the first half of 2023. In comparison, the introduction of cryptocurrencies to a wider and often ill-prepared public led online trading scammers to embezzle approximately 45 million euros in sums subtracted from Italian users, making it the type of fraud with the highest financial impact on Italians in 2023.
Despite limitations related to users’ age and differences in education levels, awareness of digital privacy and users’ online rights experienced an improvement under EU local consumer-centric regulations. As digitalization advances, Italians must be on the alert now more than ever: hackers and fraudsters might exploit technical and personal vulnerabilities to target the Italian digital population with cyber fraud, data breaches, and privacy concerns.
Fraud cases
In 2023, the Italian authorities covering cybercrime and online safety investigated over 9,500 cases of offense against individuals—a particularly vicious set of crimes that includes stalking, threats, revenge porn, and hate speech—which led to inquiries into over 1,230 accused parties.Among all threats found on the internet, online fraud represents one of the most common dangers to users. In 2022 and 2023, online scammers and fraudsters were estimated to have embezzled a cumulative 250 million euros from their Italian victims, with the financial damages from fraud cases experiencing an increase of 20 percent year-over-year in 2023. E-commerce scams, such as brand impersonation and phishing scams, were the most common type of online fraud targeting users in Italy, as over 50 percent of the cases reported to the authorities covered scams taking place on online shopping platforms and e-commerce sites.
Despite their widespread presence, e-commerce fraud cases led to the embezzlement of less than five million euros from Italian users during the first half of 2023. In comparison, the introduction of cryptocurrencies to a wider and often ill-prepared public led online trading scammers to embezzle approximately 45 million euros in sums subtracted from Italian users, making it the type of fraud with the highest financial impact on Italians in 2023.
GDPR and data privacy in Italy
With the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, the country’s local independent authority overseeing online privacy and safety – the Garante della Privacy – received ulterior support from EU organs to further develop and enforce online privacy and internet safety culture. In 2023, the awareness of local privacy laws among online users affected over half of the Italian digital population. When it comes to enforcing consumer rights, Italy was the second most prolific country when counting GDPR-related fines, with approximately 265 as of 2023.Despite limitations related to users’ age and differences in education levels, awareness of digital privacy and users’ online rights experienced an improvement under EU local consumer-centric regulations. As digitalization advances, Italians must be on the alert now more than ever: hackers and fraudsters might exploit technical and personal vulnerabilities to target the Italian digital population with cyber fraud, data breaches, and privacy concerns.
