STAMFORD, Conn. — The number of U.S. adults that are either sure or think that they have received phishing e-mails has nearly doubled since 2004, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. Financial losses stemming from phishing attacks have risen to more than $2.8 billion in 2006. "The good news is that, this year, fewer people think they lost money to phishers, but when they did lose, they lost more," said Avivah Litan, vice president and analyst at Gartner. "The average loss per victim nearly quintupled between 2005 and 2006, and the thieves seem to be targeting higher-income earners who are also more likely to transact on the Internet."

According to the survey, approximately 109 million U.S. adults have received phishing e-mail attacks, up from 57 million U.S. adults in 2004. The average loss per victim has grown from $257 to $1,244 per victim in 2006. The average amount of money consumers recovered from phishing attacks in 2005 was 80%, but in 2006, recovery amounts dropped to 54%.

High-income adults earning more than $100,000 per year are more heavily attacked. This group reported receiving an average of 112 phishing e-mails in the past year versus 74 e-mails per consumers across all income brackets. The high-income adults lost on average $4,362, almost four times as much as other victims.