New Report Suggests: Consumers Hold Retailers Responsible for Online Security

Friday, February 19, 2010 - 14:13 by Paul Tissington

According to a recent survey carried out by Cybersource Ltd, 24% of adults in the UK feel that it is the retailers who should first and foremost take responsibility for making safe shopping online a universal reality for the public. The newly released paper, which is titled the 'UK Online Fraud Report 2010,' also covered a number of pertinent issues surrounding online shopping security, whilst aiming to gain the consumers' views and opinions on the most important matters.

Other statistics reported by the source are of a revealing nature regarding the mindset of shoppers. As an example, only 12% of those questioned considered that occurrences of fraud were largely due to negligent actions on the consumers' behalf. Another 12% felt that the fault lay largely with compromised ISPs, 12% blamed card providers themselves and 16% thought that the banks were most likely to be the guilty parties with regard to online security.

The survey identified that an encouraging 85% of UK adults now routinely look for the signs that online retail sites are secure (for example, a green address bar, padlock logo or VeriSign seal). Similarly, 69% reported regularly using 3D Secure schemes (such as Mastercard SecureCode or Verified by Visa) in order to protect their details and to ensure safe shopping online. However, use of card readers rose only very slightly when compared to the 2008 data. It now seems that 29% of consumers use the verification devices when completing financial transactions online.

Commenting upon his firm's survey, the managing director of Cybersource Ltd said "Consumers say they feel that retailers are primarily accountable for making online shopping safer. But consumers themselves have a role in this effort and they should be encouraged to play it."