Cybercrime is the most widespread economic offence in Belgium. The Global Economic Crime Survey 2018 report published by the consultancy, PwC, states that cybercrime happens in 53% of cases (compared to 65% in 2016). The report is released every two years, and was published on Thursday. The most used techniques are phishing (66%), malware (56%) and network scanning (16%).
Nearly two thirds of the 62 companies questioned in Belgium (there were 6,300 in total across the world, editor’s note) spoke of being victims of economic crime in the last two years. The total compared to 45% in 2016. PwC say that this increase may be explained by more significant attention now being focused upon this problem, rather than a significant increase in actual crimes committed.
After cybercrime, the two other forms of economic offences, with which companies are most faced, are asset misappropriation (30%) and consumer fraud.
Although nearly all types of economic offences were less frequent over the last two years than they were between 2014 and 2016, accounting fraud, which concerns the most significant amounts, has actually increased in Belgium going from 8% to 10%.
The investigation by the consultancy shows that checks carried out by businesses are the main contributors to detection, coming ahead of reports or telephone calls through a “hotline”. PwC’s findings lead it to state, “A trend might yet develop in the future taking account of the sustained attention devoted to whistle-blowers in such situations.”
The Brussels Times
