Industry News Home More stories like this... RSS Feed

Consumers 'don't know' if they've been victims of online fraud

Around one in five consumers could fall victim to an online fraudster without being aware of it, a new study has found.

Highlighting the extent of the problem facing internet security managers, 21 per cent of online shoppers polled by payment company Ukash admitted that they were "not sure" if they had fallen victim to internet fraud at some point in the past.

Furthermore, 14 per cent revealed that they have never taken any action to protect themselves from online fraud, despite the fact that 95 per cent cited such crimes as a pressing concern.

Commenting on the findings, Mark Chirnside, Chief Executive of Ukash, told Which?: "Online fraud is a real and continuing threat and consumers can lose thousands of pounds as a result of identity theft... millions of online shoppers [are] putting themselves at risk every day."

News of the study comes just days after the UK payments association Apacs reported a 132 per cent rise in online banking fraud over the past few years, again showing the growing importance of online security applications.

PC Tools software safeguards your personal and financial information from identity theft. Visit www.pctools.com to upgrade your protection