Unrealized danger: F-Secure's new report shows concerning consumer scam awareness gap

HELSINKI, Sept. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Forget what you thought you knew about digital safety: global cyber security leader F-Secure's newly-released Digital Perception-Reality Gap Report shines light on the dangerous gap between consumer confidence and the actual risks they're facing online. As it turns out, the digital spaces where people feel the safest are often actually the most dangerous, and vice versa.

This disconnect shows both an urgent need and an opportunity for telcos, banks, and other digital service providers: embed protection into daily life to meet both emotional and practical needs, while turning trust into a true competitive edge.

Key findings:

• While 69% of people feel confident in spotting scams, 43% still fell victim last year. 
• Young adults (digital natives) are more than twice as likely to experience cyber crime (64%) than the oldest group of internet users (28%), driven by high online exposure and misplaced confidence. 
• Consumers worry more about unfamiliar or emotionally charged online activities than about routine behaviors—where threats are more likely to occur. 
• The misalignment between real and perceived online threats skews consumer behavior—leading to misplaced caution and overlooking areas where they're most exposed. 
• Recognizing this gap is essential for addressing real-world vulnerabilities and closing the divide between perception and reality in digital risk. Effective protection strategies must bridge not only technical gaps, but psychological ones as well. 
• Consumers want cyber security from familiar, everyday providers like banks (80%) and telcos (71%). This puts service providers in a unique position to deliver in-the-moment protection that meets demand and strengthens trust. 

Awareness is not enough. Digital spaces are now central to everyday life, but consumer trust is lagging behind. According to F-Secure Consumer Market Survey data, nearly half of global respondents (48%) experienced cyber crime last year, a sharp rise from 34% in 2023. And as cyber crime rates rise, so does consumer anxiety: 7 in 10 respondents say they no longer know who to trust online – and they're expecting protection from their trusted service providers.

"Our research makes one thing clear: consumers expect protection where they already engage. Security and digital safety are no longer nice-to-haves—they're part of consumers' daily lives," said Fredrik Torstensson, Chief Partner Business Officer at F-Secure. "They're loyalty drivers and key points of differentiation for service providers, who have a unique opportunity to lead the next era of digital trust." 

To read the full findings from the F-Secure Digital Perception-Reality Gap Report, click here.

Raising the bar for consumer security

F-Secure's embedded security solutions give service providers the ability to effortlessly boost their offerings with unmatched scam-protection features, including online security, privacy protection, identity monitoring, parental controls and more. F-Secure's unique anti-scam technology integrates into the provider's own dedicated security or multi-purpose apps, giving their customers a complete, all-in-one security package.

F-Secure's newest scam protection capabilities block digital threats around-the-clock for more than 200 service providers and their millions of customers. Collected data shows:

-500,000 per day - detections and blocks of malware
-700,000 per day - AI-driven detections and blocks of suspicious activity
-1,000,000 per day - banking transitions protected (with 5,000+ Remote Access Tool Attacks blocked daily)
-8,000,000 per day - Breached personal records detected

These industry-leading features, along with a dedicated Scam Protection Engineering Team, are propelling F-Secure to be the number one provider of scam protection in the world.

About F-Secure

F-Secure makes every digital moment more secure, for everyone. We deliver brilliantly simple, frictionless security experiences that make life easier for the tens of millions of people we protect and for our more than 200 service provider partners. For over 35 years, we've led the cyber security industry, inspired by a pioneering spirit born out of a shared commitment to do better by working together.

PRESS CONTACTS:

Meghan Sawyer
Public Relations & Social Media Manager, North America
[email protected]

Joel Latto
Public Relations & Social Media Manager, EMEA
[email protected]

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SOURCE F-Secure