• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, April 29, 2013

According to the 2013 Consumer Mobile Insights study by Jumio and Harris Interactive, 83% of respondents worry about identity theft, but look the other away when given the option to use mobile services. While 26% of respondents reported being a victim of online or mobile fraud, 48% of the consumer audience continue to check account statuses/balances , and 32% continue to pay bills online. But, convenience is trumping security concerns, with consumers continuing to transact on their mobile devices despite this threat, with 60% expecting to do so even more in the future.

Daniel Mattes, founder and CEO of Jumio, says “... users may be willing to accept risk now in favor of convenience, but this tolerance will weaken as fraud continues to grow... “

The report is supported by recent data released by CyberSource Corp, 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. 28% of retailers were tracking mobile commerce fraud in 2012, up from only 8% the previous year.

Regardless of increasing mobile fraud affecting consumers and retailers, a significant percentage of survey respondents reported leveraging their mobile devices to conduct important activities. And this behavior is only likely to increase, says the report, 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.

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 26% said they have been a victim of online or mobile fraud
• Concern over online fraud and identity theft is lowest among 18-34 year olds at 78%, yet this group is the most likely to have been a target, with 32% having been victims
• 91% of women age 35-44 said they were concerned about fraud, yet only 16% have been victims

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
• 36% of men indicate using their smartphone/tablet for mobile bill pay vs. 28% of women. 54% of men 18-34 are the most likely
• Mobile banking is higher among men (51%) vs. women (46%) and highest overall among men ages 18-34 (58%) 

Regardless of behavior, consumers do admit wanting greater security, concludes the report:

• 74% of respondents would like a more secure way to log into accounts than a username and password
• 69% said they’d store their personal payment information online more often if they felt confident that information was secure
• 46% would store personal payment details online more often if it provided faster, more convenient payment options

Mattes concludes that “... consumers want to leverage the convenience and accessibility that their mobile devices provide... but... structural weaknesses that enable fraud will... impede growth... “

N.B. This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive in March 2013 among 2,130 adults ages 18 and older. The  survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

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