The number of phishing emails sent to American online banking customers in order to steal passwords and account details increased significantly last month, according to a survey released this week.

The survey by RSA Security reveals that 62 per cent of all phishing scams were aimed at US banks and credit unions, while the number of identity fraud attacks against European and other financial institutions dropped.

Some 40 per cent of non-US focused attacks were aimed at non-English speaking countries, with Spain, Germany and The Netherlands the biggest targets.

According to RSA Security the majority of scams were still launched by criminals using internet service providers in the United States, although overall the number of attacks launched from the US decreased by 10 per cent in May.

Germany beat China last month to become the second worst country in terms of hosting phishing attacks. More than 14 per cent of all phishing scam emails were sent from Germany, while China, The United Kingdom and South Korea followed.

What do you think? Email us at: feedback@computing.co.uk