Online consumers "putting their cards at risk"

8 December 2006

The e-commerce boom means that online card spend is set to reach £3 billion this Christmas, but a lack of awareness means many consumers are endangering their online security, new research has revealed.

Consumer confidence in e-commerce has grown considerably, says the report from UK payment association Apacs. But a degree of over-confidence means that consumers often write down their passwords or save them in unsecured areas, while a third of users are frequently uncertain of whether a website is secure.

Such lapses have contributed to separate statistics revealed by Apacs last month, which detail how internet, phone and mail-order fraud has increased by five per cent year-on-year.

Web users concerned about such issues are advised by Apacs to use a firewall-enabled computer, and to possibly consider using one credit card solely for internet purchases.

A key factor in the record levels of online shopping is ease of use, the survey found. With 85 per cent of respondents saying that they found busy high street shopping too stressful, many now turn to the internet – which was found to be a stressful shopping experience by just 6 per cent of those surveyed.

Category: Miscellaneous