Over 70% of Britons affected by internet scams

More than seven in ten Brits have been targeted by internet scams in the last twelve months, according to a report from life assistance company CPP.

The report revealed that over 77% of people received fake banking or ‘phishing’ e-mails, which try to fool users into entering their credit card details or other sensitive information. In addition, 70% have been received false pleas for money and 67% have been hit by claims that they have one a lucrative competition.

Perhaps most worryingly, more than one in ten (17%) people have received fake e-mails from fraudsters claiming to be relatives or acquaintances. Such criminals then attempt to use this a way to gain trust so that they can steal personal information or money.

And the problem isn’t limited to small scale targets. Recent targets of online fraud include comedians Harry Hill and Ricky Gervais and Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba and online banking fraud cost Britons a total of £52.5m in 2008, according to APACS, the UK’s Payments Association.

Michael Lynch, identity fraud expert at CPP said:

“Your identity is your most valuable possession. With web threats on the rise, people need to ensure that they protect their personal information not just in public, but also online. Cyber criminals now operate in very sophisticated ways. Although we are seeing very high levels of phishing e-mail attacks asking for passwords and account details, we are now seeing more ‘malware’ attacks such as key-logging, where fraudsters can read what you type on your computer to capture your passwords and other sensitive financial information without you even knowing. People need to be vigilant and make sure that they have the proper security in place such as up-to-date anti-virus software.”