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Infosecurity Reveals Online Fraud At Shocking Levels

Tuesday, May 4, 2010 - 09:55 by Mike Price

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Online retail sites on the internet are, for the most part, genuine and reputable places at which to shop. However, whilst there are many bona fide retailers offering genuine bargains and a wide selection of products, consumers should be aware that not all sites are devoted to safe shopping online: there are a few bad eggs.

The importance of making sure that the online retail sites you use are safe has never been clearer, with the results of a new survey illustrating just how serious a problem fraud in the UK may be.

Experts from Infosecurity Europe, an event which took place in the capital last week, spoke to 1000 commuters in the London area regarding problems they had experienced with fraud. A staggering 44 per cent of those asked said that they had indeed suffered from credit or debit card fraud, with a worrying 37 per cent of victims failing to receive redress from their bank or credit card issuer.

More worrying for those of us who expect to be able to enjoy safe shopping online was that over a quarter of respondents-27 per cent-who had been the victims of fraud said that the issue had occurred online, with their card details stolen following the use of fraudulent websites.

According to the experts at Infosecurity Europe, criminals are becoming ever more ruthless in attempting to defraud innocent shoppers. Looking specifically at online fraud, the conclusions from the Infosecurity Europe survey suggest that consumers must stay alert and act responsibly.

Many fraudulent sites offer "too good to be true" offers. With economic pressure driving consumers to hunt for the best possible pricing, many are lured by sites offering what appear to be amazing bargains, solely as a mechanism by which to capture and subsequently exploit credit or debit card information.

If something appears to be too good to be true, it almost certainly is.