According to a recent survey by the IT industry association Bitkom, approximately 61 percent of German internet users have been victims of cybercrime in the past 12 months. This trend of decreasing incidents has continued from the previous years, as shown in the survey’s findings. In the past, 67 percent of respondents reported being affected by cybercrime in the previous year and 75 percent in 2023, according to the association.
The most common types of cybercrime reported by the respondents include online shopping fraud (36 percent), phishing (30 percent) and the infection of smartphones or computers with malware or viruses (24 percent). Less common incidents included the theft of login credentials (9 percent), fraud in online trade (6 percent) and attacks using artificial intelligence (3 percent).
In 60 percent of the reported cases, a financial loss was incurred, with an average damage of 219 euros. In four percent of the cases, the loss was covered by banks or the online platforms, with an average damage of 609 euros. Only 25 percent of the victims did not incur a financial loss.
The survey also found that only a small percentage of the victims reported the incidents to the authorities, with 25 percent filing a police report, 8 percent contacting the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and 3 percent hiring a lawyer.
The survey was conducted by Bitkom Research, interviewing 1,115 people aged 16 and above in Germany, including 1,021 internet users, from the 49th week of 2024 to the second week of 2025, via telephone.