One in eight Brits hit by online ID fraud

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One in eight Britons have been victims of online ID fraud, according to a report released today.

The survey conducted by YouGov and commissioned by VeriSign, showed 12 per cent of the 2,000-plus people questioned in July had fallen foul of online ID fraud in the past 12 months, with an average of £463 stolen from each person.

Richard Hurley, communications manager at CIFAS, the UK’s fraud prevention service, said in a statement: “Increasing numbers of cost-conscious consumers are now shopping online, and whilst the rise in online spending is great for online retailers, it opens up a Pandora’s Box of security threats.”

He added: “Cyber criminals are undoubtedly getting more devious, but consumers can easily lessen the likelihood of online fraud by stepping up their own awareness of how they can protect themselves online.”

Despite the survey showing 82 per cent of respondents claimed to only buy from sites with enhanced security settings, some £2.61 million has been stolen from UK consumers in the past 12 months.

Londoners were found to be the most careless, with 18 per cent saying they don’t bother checking whether a website has enhanced security settings before making a purchase, while only nine per cent of respondents from Northern Ireland admitted to the same.

Wales came out as having the UK’s biggest number of online fraud victims with 20 per cent of citizens claiming they had been caught out in the past year. Conversely, just eight per cent of Scots were victims.

Younger online shoppers seemed to fare better, with only five per cent of 18 to 24 year olds hit by the crime, but 14 per cent of those between the ages of 45 and 54 were victims.

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