UK web users fail the online fraud test

We all know that online fraud is costing the UK billions of pounds a year at a time when the economy can least afford it, but the question has always remained: how much of it is our fault?

Well, new research from security vendor PC Tools has cast a bit more light on the subject, and it's not looking good for the UK.

The firm commissioned the Ponemon Institute to interview over 1,000 UK web users and found that 40 per cent said they are 'likely' or 'very likely' to provide personal information in one of six online scams.

These included free anti-virus software, online shopping registration and online prizes.

UK citizens are on the whole less susceptible than their American counterparts, but there's clearly some cause for concern here.

The research found that younger respondents, specifically 16 to 18 year-olds, are most susceptible, some 61 per cent saying they were likely to click on an alert and download free anti-virus software, compared to just 20 per cent of 56 to 65 year-olds.

Despite being more tech savvy, there's an increasing trend for younger generations to be more blasé about their personal information online. So whose job is it to keep that info safe?

As discussed in the last blog, social networks like Facebook have come in for a fair bit of stick for failing to properly protect their users' privacy, and, given that these sites basically thrive on publicising the information of their users, it's easy to see why privacy is not on the top list of concerns.

The boring answer is probably that there needs to be a balance here. People, especially younger more tech-aware generations, should be more selective about the information they put online and where, but anti-fraud protection and privacy filters could also be stepped up by web service providers.