Stolen bank details sold online for £5

Credit cards and personal information make up top three ID theft illegal sales

Users are unaware of risks involved in enetering information online

Stolen bank information can be bought online for £5 with bundles of 100 credit card numbers being sold for £20, according to research from Symantec.

The vendor’s bi-annual Internet Security Threat Report, said bank account details are the most popular stolen item for sale on the web accounting for 22 per cent of all ID theft details. Credit card information is next at 13 per cent and complete personal ID details account for nine per cent. Information such as stolen eBay login details were now being put up for sale, the report said.

The information is often sold via message boards and forums that remain active for short periods of time.

Packaged deals spotted by the firm in the second half of 2007 include 50 credit card numbers for sale at £20 (£0.40 each), and bundles of 500 credit card numbers for £100 (£0.20 each).

Increased fraudulent activity combined with rising identity theft fears have seen consumers begin to move away from online credit card transactions and towards Internet-based payment services such as PayPal, the report said.

Despite this fraudsters are turning to the Internet as users are not careful about protecting their details.

The problem is awareness, said Tom Ilube, chief executive of privacy firm Garlik.

“People are concerned but consumers are still unclear about the security options available and how to use them," he said.