Phishing attacks fell by 45 per cent last month, according to new survey, but British internet users are falling for online scams in ever increasing numbers.

Email management firm Postini monitored nine million phishing emails during April 2005, but warned that the drop in attacks may not last.

"Due to the unpredictability of spammers, the increase and decrease of email threats from month to month is normal," said Andrew Lochart, senior director of marketing at Postini.

"Spammers constantly shift techniques, leading to changes in the frequency and composition of junk messages."

But as the figures were released, a new YouGov poll sponsored by AOL found that five per cent of UK internet users had lost money to an online scam, and one per cent had lost money directly to phishers.

Of those that do lose money the majority were not compensated by their financial services provider, and over one in 10 are still waiting for compensation.

More worryingly 40 per cent did not know whether their bank's terms and conditions covered phishing losses, and four per cent were not sure whether their bank even had terms and conditions.

"While many UK banks are currently compensating losses incurred as the result of phishing, this might not always happen," said Will Smith, AOL's safety and security expert.

"Phishers are becoming increasingly sophisticated at spoofing legitimate brands and it is often difficult to spot a scam, so it's crucial that people protect themselves."