Apacs launches consumer advice site about online threats

UK banking industry body Apacs, backed by the National High-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), has launched a consumer and SME site to give the public access to the latest news and advice on how to protect themselves online.

The site, banksafeonline.org.uk, details how a range of digital threats, such as phishing and Trojan viruses, work and what steps should be taken to reduce the risks, with an aim of keeping online fraud at an acceptable level.

Currently, the scale of the problem is still relatively minor, with approximately 2,000 people having been defrauded online in the last nine months, leading to a total cost to banks of about £4.5m.

By comparison, traditional card fraud has affected one in three people in the UK, costing the financial services industry over £400m in the last year.

According to Apacs, 14 million people are banking online in the UK, with about six out of ten using the internet to make payments.

'Although computer users seem to be getting wise to scams like phishing and Trojans, we'd like to see even greater improvement,' said a spokeswoman for Apacs.

According to a new report from the industry body, four per cent of people banking online still say they would respond to a scam email purportedly sent from their bank, while nearly half of the respondents say they don't currently use a firewall.

The advice site indicates the increasing priority that both the public and private sector are giving to online security, with the banking sector and the law increasingly co-operating to fight the problem.

Detective chief superintendent Mick Deats of the NHTCU, says the Unit is pleased to support the new website.

'It is part of the banking industry's efforts to make customers aware of what they need to do to stay safe online. Meanwhile, we continue to work behind the scenes to bring the gangs perpetrating these crimes to justice,' said Deats.