CPP Claims Over 70% of Britons Receive Phishing E-mail

As per a study conducted by life assistance company CPP, nearly 38.5 Million people in the UK have been regularly finding phishing e-mails in their inboxes since June 2008, indicating that online fraud has reached its peak level.

The study also reports that 7 out of 10 Internet users have received phishing e-mail in last 12 months.

Nearly 80% of the survey participants claimed that they had discovered fake shopping or banking e-mails in their inboxes, 70% openly admitted of hitting by fake pleas for money and 67% revealed that they had been informed about winning a competition by bogus e-mails, said the research.

Security experts have also highlighted a fact that cunning fraudsters masquerade as friends or family members of the e-mail recipients to wipe off their personal information. It is said that over one out of every ten participants received e-mails from person pretending to be pals or relatives to get hand on personal information or money.

Michael Lynch, Identity Fraud Expert, CPP, said that the statistics for online frauds were the highest as had never been before. Nearly 50 Million of adults had been targeted since 2008, as reported by Telegraph on June 9, 2009.

He further added that online identity was the most valuable possession of every Internet user, but fraudsters were searching new methods to trick them. Cyber criminals' prime target is not stealing money from bank accounts, but also capturing private details that could be sold in the market with high profits.

It is estimated that nearly 15,000 new phishing websites are created every month that reflects the high risk involved in it.

Giving advice what a user should do if he encountered a phishing attack, Lynch said that a user ought to be extremely careful if he received an e-mail from an known person, but failed to identify the e-mail address.

In addition, a user should be more careful from e-mails pretending to have arrived from online shopping sites such as PayPal and banks.

The bogus e-mails sent by phishers contain lucrative content and directs a user to a fake website resembling almost the genuine site. Hence, it is very important to install up-to-date antivirus applications, active fireball and sign-up for identity Fraud Protection Policy.

Related article: Cop Accused of Using spyware to Stalk His Ex

» SPAMfighter News - 6/10/2009