An estimated 11.3 crore Indians, or 48% of Indians online, fell victim to cyber crime last year, said a report by American software security firm Norton on Thursday.
Indian victims lost about Rs 16,558 on average, as compared to the global average loss figure of Rs 23,878 ($358), according to the survey by Norton by Symantec, which "explores the emotional side of cyber crime", said Norton officials.
"Cyber crime takes a true emotional toll. Close to eight in 10 said they would feel devastated if their personal financial information was compromised, while 36% said they felt sad after being affected by online crimes, compared with 19% globally," said Norton India country manager Ritesh Chopra.
"Our findings reveal that consumer reservations are indeed grounded in reality. In the past year, 48% of India's online population, or approximately 11.3 crore Indians, were affected by online crimes," he said.
Indian consumers affected by cyber crime lost on average of 29.6 hours compared to an average of 21 hours across the 17 countries surveyed.
The "Norton Cybersecurity Insights Report", covering 17,125 device users aged over 18, consisted of inputs from 1,000 Indians.
At least 66% of Indian respondents (compared to 60% globally) felt that using public Wi-Fi is riskier than using a public washroom.
The report said 60% of people worry about experiencing cyber crime.
Interestingly, 54% of Indians believe it is more likely that their credit card information will be stolen online than from their wallet and one in two (52%) have either personally experienced credit card fraud or know someone who has.
The survey found "baby boomers", defined as 55 years, a group often perceived as less tech savvy, have more secure online habits than "millennials" — those born between the 1980s to the early 2000.
"Millennials, born in the digital era, often throw caution to the wind, with 31% admitting to sharing passwords and other risky online behaviour," said Chopra. "More than seven in 10 millennials in India have experienced a form of cyber crime, with every second millennial experiencing it in the last 12 months alone.
"Also, 32% Indians (driven mostly by millennials) reported having their mobile device stolen, compared with the global average of 15%," said Norton in a statement.
Highlighting the risky behaviour, especially among India's millennials, the survey found people sharing passwords to online sensitive accounts with friends and family.
"Of those sharing passwords, more than one in three share the password to their banking account, and on an average are sharing passwords for two accounts, with the most common passwords shared being email (60%) and social media (54%)," said Norton.
"Millennial Indians are at higher risk, with more than one in two users personally experiencing a form of online crime in the last 12 months alone," it added.
The report was commissioned by Norton by Symantec and produced by research firm Edelman Berland.
