Over the last decade, the issue of cybercrime has propelled to the forefront of the public eye. So much so, governments around the world have set up governing and intelligence bodies to deal with all matters related to cybercrime specifically.
Interested in online safety, Reboot Online analyzed the latest data from the European Commission to discover which Europeans are the most unaware of how to report a cybercrime or any other illegal online behavior in their respective country.
Unawareness refers to Europeans not knowing the existence of a website, email address, online form, and/or contact number in their respective country to report a cybercrime or any other illegal online behavior such as cyber harassment/bullying.
Shai Aharony, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Reboot Online told Finbold:
“As cybercrimes become more sophisticated and dangerous, we must become more vigilant to protect ourselves online. Taking small actions such as familiarising yourself with government-backed cybercrime agencies/bodies and applying their recommended best practices to your online actions can play a monumental role in reducing the risk of you becoming a victim of cybercrime. But this research also goes to show that these governmental cybercrime agencies/bodies need to better promote themselves to the public to make them aware of their role, operations, and support services when it comes to cybercrime.”
The list of europeans most unaware of how to report cybercrime
Reboot Online found that Spain and Denmark are in the joint first place as 86% of citizens in each respective country do not know how to report a cybercrime.
In the second position is Romania, where 84% of Romanians admit to having no idea who or what they would contact to report a cybercrime.
France is in third place, with 82% of French citizens stating they are unaware of the relevant avenues they could explore to report being a victim or witness to cybercrime.
| Rank | European Country | Percentage (%) | No. of People Surveyed |
| 1 | Spain | 86% | 1,005 |
| 1 | Denmark | 86% | 1,013 |
| 2 | Romania | 84% | 1,089 |
| 3 | France | 82% | 1,018 |
| 4 | Sweden | 81% | 1,047 |
| 5 | Lithuania | 80% | 1,000 |
| 5 | Portugal | 80% | 1,007 |
| 5 | Poland | 80% | 1,027 |
| 6 | Germany | 78% | 1,506 |
| 7 | Bulgaria | 77% | 1,030 |
| 7 | Italy | 77% | 1,023 |
| 8 | Czech Republic | 76% | 1,003 |
| 9 | Slovakia | 75% | 1,013 |
| 9 | Hungary | 75% | 1,027 |
| 9 | Cyprus | 75% | 506 |
| 10 | Latvia | 74% | 1,007 |
| 10 | Estonia | 74% | 1,027 |
| 10 | Slovenia | 74% | 1,030 |
| 11 | Ireland | 70% | 1,015 |
| 11 | Belgium | 70% | 1,086 |
| 12 | Croatia | 69% | 1,016 |
| 12 | Netherlands | 69% | 1,017 |
| 13 | United Kingdom | 68% | 1,040 |
| 14 | Luxembourg | 67% | 509 |
| 15 | Finland | 65% | 1,012 |
| 15 | Austria | 65% | 1,011 |
| 16 | Greece | 58% | 1,012 |
| 17 | Malta | 46% | 511 |
Reboot Online survey data.
Interestingly, 80% of citizens living in Lithuania, Portugal, and Poland are unaware of how to report a cybercrime, respectively ranking joint fifth.
In the thirteenth spot is the UK, where 68% of Brits confess to lacking the adequate know-how to alert relevant parties of a cybercrime.
Additionally, 29% of Brits worryingly admit they do not feel well informed about cybercrime risks.
On the other end, those in Malta seem to be the most prepared to handle the aftermath of a cybercrime, with only 46% of citizens not knowing how to report a cybercrime.
Overall, on average, from all the assessed countries, 77% of Europeans are unaware of how to report cybercrime or illegal online behavior.
