ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 28th Jul, 2021) At the start of this year, KPMG conducted its inaugural UAE cybercrime survey. And what it revealed is "a stark reflection of how quickly COVID-19 has changed the way we live and conduct ourselves, especially online," a local English-language daily commented.
In an editorial on Wednesday, Khaleej Times said, "But you don’t need one of the world’s Big 4 firms in management consulting to tell you that our behaviour and patterns have changed as far as our online activities are concerned and so have the threats and risks that come with it. While the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many senior management teams of almost every company worth it's salt to focus on the organisation’s core operations, it has also exposed them to greater risks."
Forty-six percent of those surveyed in the KPMG study in question said they felt the pandemic significantly increased their exposure to cybercrime, making them vulnerable, the daily noted.
It continued, "Almost four in 10 UAE consumers, according to the 2021 Stay Secure survey, another study on similar lines launched jointly just this month by visa, Dubai Police, and Dubai Economy (DED), noted that online fraud attempts in the past year even as trust in the usage of digital payments both in-store and online see no signs of ebbing. More and more consumers continue to prefer digital payments over cash, citing improved technology, and security measures as main motivations.
"Yet, what these studies don’t often reveal is the ugly underbelly of these transactions and what happens when they go wrong. All these surveys and frequent awareness campaigns by various governmental agencies are meant to alert people against fraud attempts. Yet people fall prey as if they have never heard of digital frauds."
The Dubai-based daily concluded by saying, "The onus of keeping the UAE a safe and secure country is on us and it’s about time we got together and delivered."
