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    E-crime scares SMBs off online sales

The Federation of Small Businesses calls for better online protections against fraud to protect and encourage smaller firms to sell online.

By Nicole Kobie, 14 Aug 2007 at 12:31

Online fraud and crime risks are scaring small and medium businesses (SMBs) off of e-commerce, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

Despite the internet generally being an ideal, low-cost marketplace for niche and small businesses, just 18 per cent of SMBs sell online and one per cent are web-only businesses.

Although six per cent have been hit by online credit card fraud, 19 per cent of such businesses consider it a significant concern.

"The extent to which the UK's small to medium enterprise sector is engaged in e-commerce is an issue of considerable economic significance," said David Croucher-Jones, the FSB's home affairs chairman.

He called for recommendations from the recent Lords Science and Technology Committee report to be implemented, to protect e-crime victims and create a safer online marketplace.

"We applaud the Lords Committee for having highlighted and recommended proposals that are essential to internet trade moving forward - but recommending and doing are two different things," he said. "E-crime needs to be given the same status as crime that is committed against a bricks and mortar business. Only when this is accomplished, by implementing the Lords recommendations, can more small businesses benefit from having a stronger online presence."

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