Mobile Users Well Aware of Fraud but, for Many, Convenience Trumps Security Concerns

PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 18, 2013) - According to the results of the 2013 Consumer Mobile Insights study released today by Jumio, Inc. and conducted online by Harris Interactive®, the vast majority of consumers -- 83% of respondents¹ worry about identity theft, but look the other way when given the option to use mobile services that put more convenient options at their fingertips. While one in four respondents (26%) reported being a victim of online or mobile fraud (a higher percentage than the recently reported national average of one in 20²), a significant percentage of the consumer audience continues to conduct financial or other important activities on mobile, such as checking account statuses/balances (48%) or paying bills online (32%). Further, 60% of respondents expect to use their smartphone or tablet even more in the future to conduct important activities.

Jumio commissioned Harris Interactive to field the study, which was conducted online between March 22-26, 2013, among a nationwide cross section of 2,130 US adults.

"Two in every three Americans use smartphones or tablets, according to our research, and are increasingly using them to conduct important daily activities -- from online banking to paying bills on-the-go. This adoption continues to grow in the face of increasing mobile fraud, and related concerns have clearly not kept smartphone users from participating," said Daniel Mattes, founder and CEO of Jumio. "Users may be willing to accept risk now in favor of convenience, but this tolerance will weaken as fraud continues to grow. The industry needs to get on board to protect our customers as much as the customers themselves need to take greater precautions."

The Jumio report is supported by recent data released by CyberSource Corp, a division of VISA, which found that retail revenue lost to online fraud increased over the past two years to reach an estimated $3.5 billion, up 3% from $3.4 billion in 2011 and 30% from $2.7 billion in 2010. The surge in mobile fraud is highlighted by CyberSource, with 28% of retailers tracking mobile commerce fraud in 2012, up from only 8% the previous year.

Detailed findings from the Mobile Consumer Insights report include:

Personal Finance in Your Pocket... Easy Access, Worth the Risk
Regardless of increasing mobile fraud affecting consumers and retailers, a significant percentage of survey respondents reported leveraging their mobile devices to conduct important activities.

• Nearly one-half (48%) of respondents use their devices to check their account statuses or bank balance
• 34% of respondents have made a retail purchase on mobile
• 25% have used their smartphones/tablets to make a purchase within a game or app

And this behavior is only likely to increase, with 60% reporting that they expect to use their smartphone or tablet more in the future to conduct important activities, such as banking, paying bills, service management and delivery of goods like groceries.

Generation Y not?
Keeping their guard up may help consumers stay protected against falling prey to fraudulent activity, as the study suggests a direct correlation between level of concern and risk.

• 83% of respondents report that they are worried about identity theft and one in four (26%) said they have been a victim of online or mobile fraud; meanwhile...
• Concern over online fraud and identity theft is lowest among Generation Y (18-34 year olds) at 78% yet this group is the most likely to have been a target, with victims numbering almost one in three (32%)
• 91% of women age 35-44 said they were concerned about fraud, yet less than one in five (16%) has been a victim

Mr. Mobile
Among smartphone and tablet owners, men outnumber women when using their phones for activities from paying bills to grocery shopping (and who plan to do so more in the future), with young men showing highest adoption across categories.

• 64% of men expect to use their smartphone or tablet more in the future to conduct important activities, such as banking, paying bills, service management and delivery of goods like groceries, vs. 55% of female respondents
• Men (36%) are significantly more likely to indicate using their smartphone/tablet for mobile bill pay than women (28%). Young men are the most likely(54% of those aged 18-34)
• Mobile banking is higher among men (51% overall) vs. women (46% overall) and highest overall among men ages 18-34 (58%)

Safety in Numbers
Regardless of behavior, consumers do admit wanting greater security. Nearly three in four (74%) would like a more secure way to log into their accounts, and nearly as many would store more personal information online if they felt confident that information was protected.

• Three-quarters (74%) of respondents would like a more secure way to log into accounts than a username and password
• Almost as many people (69%) said they'd store their personal payment information online more often if they felt confident that information was secure
• Just under half (46%) would store personal payment details online more often if it provided faster, more convenient payment options

"Consumers want to leverage the convenience and accessibility that their mobile devices provide, but the risk is that the structural weaknesses that enable fraud will eventually impede growth," continued Mattes. "For mobile to reach its full potential, the industry needs to adopt more consistent and accurate ways to identify and authenticate consumers. Only then will we be able to truly combat fraud."

For more information on the findings, or to learn more about Jumio, the online verification and mobile payments platform company, go to: http://www.jumio.com/2013/04/mobile-users-well-aware-of-fraud/.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Jumio from March 22-March 26, 2013 among 2,130 adults ages 18 and older (of whom 1,261 are smartphone/tablet owners). This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Jenny Davis.

About Jumio
Utilizing advanced computer vision technology, Jumio is a next generation credentials management company offering payments and ID scanning & validation products for mobile and web transactions. Designed to reduce fraud and increase revenue by minimizing friction in customer transactions, Jumio's products integrate easily into mobile apps or websites and create great customer experiences. Jumio's products are widely used by leading retailers, marketplaces and financial institutions.

Jumio's Netswipe® enables customers to scan their cards in online and mobile checkout resulting in increased revenue and reduced fraud for the merchants. Netverify™ supports real-time ID verification in over 60 countries to help clients meet a variety of know-your customer requirements. The company was founded in 2010 by CEO Daniel Mattes and is backed by top tier investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Citi Ventures and Facebook Co-Founder, Eduardo Saverin. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California Jumio operates globally with offices in the US, Europe and Asia.

¹ Respondents and consumers noted here and throughout the 2013 Consumer Mobile Insights press release refer to base respondents of smartphone and tablet owners
² Javelin Strategy 2013 Identity Fraud Report; February 20, 2013 via NBC News