U.S. Consumers Lose More Than $8 Billion to Online Threats, According to Consumer Reports Survey; Consumers Have 1 in 3 Chance of Becoming a Cybervictim; Phishing Victim's Losses Up Five-Fold Since 2005 Survey; CR Rates Protection Software.

Byline: Consumers Union

YONKERS, N.Y., Aug. 7 (AScribe Newswire) -- The risks associated with using the Internet remain high, according to Consumer Reports' latest "State of the Net" survey. Consumer Reports projects that U.S. consumers lost more than $8 billion over the last two years to viruses, spyware, and phishing schemes.

Additionally, the "State of the Net" survey shows that consumers face a 1 in 3 chance of becoming a cybervictim, an incidence that hasn't abated in the past year.

Online consumers who fell prey to phishing schemes experienced a five-fold increase in financial losses since the 2005 survey. The median cost per phishing incident was $850 - five times higher than the median cost of $165 in 2005. Consumer Reports projects that U.S. consumers lost $630 million over the past two years to fraudulent phishing e-mail scams.

The 2006 "State of the Net" survey was …