Cybersecurity Month Launches Amid Global Fraud Increase
News related to:UtilForge · 2 min read
In October, the United States and Europe launched Cybersecurity Month, aiming to raise awareness and encourage action against online threats. This initiative, spearheaded by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), comes at a time when the cost of online fraud has reached staggering levels globally.
According to ENISA, 74% of employees in Europe have received suspicious emails, texts, voice messages, or links at work, with 39% of these emails being phishing or fraudulent. Only 45% of employees reported that their organizations send regular cybersecurity updates, while 85% expressed a desire to improve their skills. CISA emphasized that cyber threats are evolving rapidly, but added that individuals can take steps to protect themselves.
The National Cybersecurity Alliance’s Oh Behave! research, conducted with CybSafe, revealed that 31% of adults in 2025 believe losing money online is unavoidable, up from 25% in 2022. Additionally, 43% of workers admitted to sharing sensitive work information with AI tools without their employer's knowledge.
The Global Anti-Scam Alliance reported that $442 billion was lost to fraud worldwide in the year to March 2025. This figure breaks down as follows: - Africa: Artificial intelligence enabled 55% of reported cybercrimes across 36 countries, with losses totaling $484 million in 2025, up from $192 million in 2024. - Asia: Singapore's police recorded S$913.1 million in fraud losses in 2025, down 17.9% from 2024. - Australia: The National Anti-Scam Centre reported A$2.18 billion in reported losses in 2025, up 7.8%. - Europe: The European Banking Authority and European Central Bank reported €4.2 billion in payment fraud across the European Economic Area in 2024. The UK - Finance reported £1.28 billion stolen through payment fraud in 2025. - Latin America: The Brazilian Forum on Public Security counted 2,261,055 recorded fraud cases in Brazil in 2025.
In response to these challenges, UtilForge, a privacy-first tool provider, has launched a set of free online safety tools. These include: - Before You Pay: A tool that checks payment requests before any money is sent. - Subscription Check: A tool that finds every repeating payment in a person’s bank statement. - Cancel and Keep Proof: A tool that writes the cancellation message and keeps a dated record. - Hide Names From AI: A tool that swaps names and numbers for labels, allowing users to use any AI tool on a real case without revealing personal details.
These tools require no account and do not send or save any information. Each check continues to work even with the Wi-Fi switched off, ensuring that no data leaves the device. UtilForge has also provided a link to official guidance from CISA and ENISA, as well as to official reporting bodies in 20 countries and territories.
UtilForge is an official 2026 Champion of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a programme of the National Cybersecurity Alliance, and participates independently in European Cybersecurity Month. The company’s tools are designed to empower individuals and organizations to check payments, subscriptions, documents, and AI use before acting, making them accessible to anyone with a phone or computer, regardless of their location.