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20% of UK consumers 'particularly' vulnerable to scams

A new study exploring why the public gets duped by internet scams such as phishing has revealed that up to 20 per cent of the UK population are particularly at risk of falling for them.

The study conducted by the University of Exeter on behalf of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has found that previous victims of a scam are more at risk because they are likely to respond again.

People experienced in a particular subject being exploited such as investment, are also likely to become victims because of their 'over confidence', the study found.

The victims also tend not to be poor decision makers and would often withhold information about whether they have responded from family members.

"Scams often have a devastating emotional as well as financial impact on victims," said OFT director of consumer protection Mike Haley, who added that the findings will be used to come up with better methods to counter scammers.

The recently published Findings from Consumer Surveys on Internet Shopping report from the OFT revealed that online security concerns and fears of ID theft are discouraging consumers from shopping online.

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