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Posted: Fri, March 7, 2008
Identity theft worth £361bn in UKBritish consumers are potentially worth £361 billion to cybercriminals through identity theft, according to new research from security firm VeriSign.Conducting a survey, the company found that the average UK consumer has total monetary assets of £10,077 available online, through banking, shopping and gambling accounts. A total of two-thirds (65 per cent) of respondents admitted to sharing personal information their online bank each week and 58 per cent with online retailers, while 31 per cent shared personal information on social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. VeriSign warned that the more information that users shared online, the greater the risk to their details and money online. With 75 per cent giving away their date of birth, 70 per cent their home address and 68 per cent their mother's maiden name, it explained that the threat is quite high. Jon Kerr of VeriSign said: "It's no surprise that online banks and retailers are some of the most popular targets for identity theft since so many personal details are required by users. "As online transactions increase, we need to acknowledge the importance of both technology and consumer behaviour in protecting personal details and monetary assets online. With the average UK consumer worth over £10,000 to criminals, it's clear that each of us is a target." 
© Adfero Ltd
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